Enrichment of Intestinal Mucosal Phospholipids with Arachidonic and Eicosapentaenoic Acids Fed to Suckling Piglets Is Dose and Time Dependent

Abstract

Infant formula companies began fortifying formulas with long-chain PUFA in 2002, including arachidonic acid (ARA) at approximately 0.5% of total fatty acids. The primary objective of this study was to determine the time-specific effects of feeding formula enriched with supra-physiologic ARA on fatty acid composition of intestinal mucosal phospholipids. One-day-old pigs (n = 96) were fed a milk-based formula for 4, 8, or 16 d. Diets contained either no PUFA (0% ARA, negative control), 0.5% ARA, 2.5% ARA, 5% ARA, or 5% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) of total fatty acids (wt:wt). Growth (299 +/- 21 g/d) and clinical hematology were unaffected by treatment (P > 0.6). Although minimal on d 4, concentrations of ARA in jejunal mucosa were enriched 47, 272 and 428% by d 8 and 144, 356, and 415% by d 16 in pigs fed the 0.5% ARA, 2.5% ARA, and 5% ARA diets, respectively, compared with the 0% ARA control pigs (P < 0.01). On d 16, ARA enrichment increased progressively with increasing dietary ARA supplementation from 0 to 2.5% but plateaued as dietary ARA rose to 5%. A similar pattern of ARA enrichment was observed in ileal mucosal phospholipids, but maximal enrichment in the ileum exceed that in the jejunum by >50%. As ARA increased, linoleic acid content decreased reciprocally. Although maximal enterocyte enrichment with EPA approached 20-fold by d 8, concentrations were only approximately 50% of those attained for ARA. Negligible effects on gross villus/crypt morphology were observed. These data demonstrate a dose-dependent response of intestinal mucosal phospholipid ARA concentration to dietary ARA with nearly full enrichment attained within 8 d of feeding formula containing ARA at 2.5% of total fatty acids and that supra-physiologic supplementation of ARA is not detrimental to growth.

Dietary Arachidonate Differentially Alters Desaturase-Elongase Pathway Flux and Gene Expression in Liver and Intestine of Suckling Pigs,

“…Piglets were randomly allocated to 0, 0.5, 2.5, or 5% ARA or 5% EPA diets differing in fatty acid composition. Dietary fatty acid analysis was previously reported (22). The 18:2(n-6) concentration in the fat blend for the 0%AA diet was 1.5 g/100 g and averaged 20.3 for the other blends (22).…”

“…All procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Piglets and dietary treatments were the same as described previously (22). Briefly, colostrumfed piglets were acquired at 12-24 h of age and individually caged.…”

Postnatal Hepatic Fatty Acid Oxidative Capacity of Preterm Pigs Receiving TPN Does Not Differ from That of Term Pigs and Is Not Affected by Supplemental Arachidonic and Docosahexaenoic Acids

“…However, growth data for the term infant are less convincing (55). Similarly, growth does not appear to be reduced in young pigs receiving formula supplemented with (n-3) PUFA (56). Relative differences in weights of preterm and term pigs cannot be attributed to differences in overall dietary (n-3) or (n-6) fatty acid concentrations or the (n-6):(n-3) fatty acid ratio, which were similar in preterm and term parenteral solutions.…”

The metabolic syndrome of ω3-depleted rats. V. Intestinal phospholipid ω6 fatty acids

“…These authors also observed that feeding a diet rich in ˆ3 fatty acids lowered the C20:4ˆ6 content of both jejunal and ileal microsomal phospholipids. Last, Hess et al (10) reported that feeding one-day-old pigs a milk-based formula containing 0.5 to 5.0% C20:4ˆ6 (wt:wt) increased within 8 days, in a dose-dependent manner the C20:4ˆ6 content of jejunal and ileal mucosa phospholipids, with a reciprocal decrease of C18:2ˆ6.…”