Hematological and lipid changes in newborn piglets fed milk‐replacer diets containing erucic acid

Abstract

Canola oil is not presently permitted in infant formulations in the United States because of lack of information concerning the effects of feeding canola oil to the newborn. We have previously reported a transient decrease in platelet counts and an increase in platelet size in newborn piglets fed canola oil for 4 wk, and have confirmed this in the present study. In canola oil-fed piglets, changes in platelet size and number were overcome by adding either long-chain saturated fatty acids from cocoa butter (16:0 and 18:0), or shorter-chain saturates from coconut oil (12:0 and 14:0). Feeding a high erucic acid rape-seed (HEAR) oil, with 20% 22:1n-9, led to an even greater platelet reduction and increased platelet size throughout the 4-wk trial. Bleeding times were longer in piglets fed canola oil or HEAR oil compared to sow-reared and soybean oil-fed piglets. There were no other diet-related changes. Diet-induced platelet changes were not related to platelet lipid class composition, but there were fatty acid changes. The incorporation of 22:1n-9 into platelet phospholipids of piglets fed canola oil was low (0.2-1.2%), and even for the HEAR oil group ranged from only 0.2% in phosphatidylinositol to 2.4% in phosphatidylserine. A much greater change was observed in the concentration of 24:1n-9 and in the 24:1n-9/24:0 ratio in platelet sphingomyelin (SM). The 24:1n-9 increased to 49% in the HEAR oil group compared to about 12% in animals fed the control diets (sow-reared piglets and soybean oil-fed group), while the 24:1n-9/24:0 ratio increased from about 1 to 12. Even feeding canola oil, prepared to contain 2% 22:1n-9, led to a marked increase in 24:1n-9 to 29% and had a 24:1n-9/24:0 ratio of 5. The canola oil/cocoa butter group, which also contained 2% 22:1n-9, showed a lower level of 24:1n-9 (20%) and the 24:1n-9/24:0 ratio (3) compared to the canola oil group. The results suggest that the diet-related platelet changes in newborn piglets may be related to an increase in 24:1n-9 in platelet SM, resulting from chain elongation of 22:1n-9. The inclusion of canola oil as the sole source of fat in the milk-replacer diets of newborn piglets resulted in significant platelet and lipid changes.

Effects of feeding Lunaria oil rich in nervonic and erucic acids on the fatty acid compositions of sphingomyelins from erythrocytes, liver, and brain of the quaking mouse mutant

“…Therefore, the observed effects of the Lunaria oil on brain sphingomyelin 2-wk postbirth in qk.qk mice must involve largely nonmyelinated cells. Presumably these cells, mainly neurons and astrocytes, have sphingomyelin that has been influenced by the dietary Lunaria oil in the present study, by preformed 24:1n-9 delivered from the mother, either in utero or after birth during lactation, increasing the percentage of 24:1n-9 by direct incorporation into sphingomyelin and also decreasing the percentage of 20:0, 22:0, and 24:0 in sphingomyelin by further inhibiting the already depressed formation of C 22 and C 24 fatty acids from shorter-chain precursors in the quaking mouse brain. Thus, (1-14 C)lignoceric acid injected into 15-d-old mice has a specific radioactivity in the total lipid of neurons and astrocytes that is essentially the same as in serum, consistent with its direct incorporation into these cells' sphingolipids (25).…”

“…This is supported by the abundance of 24:0 and 24:1 in milk sphingomyelin from quaking mice fed the control diet (Table 4). Therefore, the results obtained here for liver, erythrocytes, and milk may be directly compared with the various studies already published for the effects of dietary fatty acids in influencing the fatty acid compositions of tissue sphingomyelins in various species and especially the levels of 24:0 and 24:1 in sphingomyelin (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Of these studies, the most definitive is that by Bettger and Blackadar (21) who fed rats 21 different oils, ranging in percentages of 18:1n-9 from 5-78%, 22:1n-9 from 0-23% and 24:1n-9 from 0-1%, and examined the effects of the diets on the ratios of 24:1/24:0 in liver sphingomyelin.…”

“…Here the measured values for sphingomyelins are 4.6, 8.6, and 36.6 for erythrocytes, liver, and milk, respectively. We conclude that the Bettger and Blackadar (21) relationship does not hold for extraneural tissues for the test diet and propose that this reflects (i) the high level of 6.8% of 24:1n-9 in the test diet, and (ii) the probability that such a high dietary input of 24:1n-9 inhibits not only the formation of 24:1n-9 from shorter-chain monoenoic acid precursors but also the formation of 24:0 from shorter-chain saturated acid precursors, because the microsomal fatty acid elongase forming C 24 from C 18 and C 20 precursors does not discriminate between saturated and n-9 monounsaturated substrates (22,23). Thus, the observed substantial deviation of the predicted from the measured value for the test diet is proof of a direct and strong influence of elevated dietary 24:1n-9 in determining the levels of both 24:1n-9 and 24:0 in extra neural sphingolipids in qk.qk mice, not only by direct incorporation into sphingomyelin but probably also by inhibition of the biosynthesis of 24:0 from shorter-chain precursors.…”

Clofibrate Increases Long-Chain Fatty Acid Oxidation by Neonatal Pigs

“…Erucic acid is naturally present in rapeseed oil or hydrogenated fish oil. The digestibility of rapeseed oil and its effects on lipid profile in tissues and histopathology in organs were evaluated in swine (32)(33)(34)(35), but there is no information on erucic acid oxidation. Swine have high digestion and absorption rates of rapeseed oil and a high proportion of peroxisomal oxidation compared with rodent species (11).…”

Erucic acid in feed and food

“…Decrease PCV, Hb and RBC in all groups except group receiving sow milk. Higher bleeding time in groups receiving 3.5 or 0.35 g/kg bw per day Kramer et al (1998) 8 weeks Sacrifices: day 0 and after 1, 2,3 and 8 weeks…”