Abstract
The incorporation of docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) and arachidonic acid(AA) into brain and liver lipid has been compared in male pups from binth to 10 weeks old by feeding DHA-rich experimental diets or chow diets to dams from pregnancy in rats. The experimental DHA-rich diets contained 7g fish oil and 3g corn oil per 100g diet. There were three experimental groups, FO-I : Dams were fed DHA-rich diet during pregnancy and lactation, and their it pups fed the same diet until 10 weeks old. FO-II Dams fed chow diet during pregnancy and DHA-diet during lactation, and their pups fed the same DHA-diet until 10 weeks. FO-III : Dams fed chow diet during gestation and lactation, and then the pups fed DHA-diet after weaning. The relative % of DHA in hepatic lipid was about 12% with chow diets, but increased rapidly to 20-25% level when DHA-rich diets were supplied after weaning. The AA(%) of FO-III group was relatively high when a chow diet containing higher amount of linoleic acid was given, but there was no significant difference between the groups after feeding on a DHA-rich diet. When the DHA-rich diet was supplied from pregnancy(FO-I), the relative % of DHA in brain lipid was 13.7% at birth and continuously increased to a maximum level(17.2%) at 3-weeks and then was sustained until 5 weeks old. Similar levels of DHA incorporation were observed when DHA-rich diet was supplied from lactation(FO-II). However, the pups of FO-III group showed significantly lower levels of DHA incorporation(72%) at birth. These livels slowly increased and reached an 87% level of FO-I at 10 weeks when the pups ate DHA-rich diets after weaning. The relative % of AA in brain lipid was 10.4% in the FO-I group at birth, which was significantly lower than those of other groups, but there was no significant difference between groups after feeding DHA-rich diets in all groups. The Ah(%) level increased to maximum(11-12%) at 3-weeks and then was slightly reduced and was sustained at about 10% after S-weeks. Total amounts of DNA in the whole brain rapidly reached maximum level at 3-weeks and then was sustained at a constant level after S-weeks. DNA content was not significantly different between groups at birth, but it was significantly higher in FO-I and FO-II groups than in FO-III group at 3-weeks. However, DNA content in FO-III group was continuously increased to 80% level of FO-I at 10-weeks after feeding DHA-rich diet since weaning. In conclusion, the DHA(%) in whole brain was most effectively deposited when DHA-rich diet had been supplied during pregnancy and lactation in rats. However, DHA supplementation after weaning also improved the incorporaton of DHA into brain and content of DNA even though brain development was almost completed, which suggests that DHA supplementation might be necessary to improve brain development in humans during infancy as well as pregnancy and lactation. (Korean J Nutrition 31(7) 1100-1111, 1998)