Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid Ethyl Ester Supplement for Lactating Rat on Lipid and Fatty Acid Compositions of Pup's Liver and Cerebral Cortex

Abstract

Female Wistar rats which had been fed a diet containing soy bean oil (soya) for 4 weeks before mating were divided into two dietary groups after delivery: half of the rats were fed a diet supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester (DHA), and the other half were kept on the soy bean oil diet. Weaned rats were fed the same diet that had been given to their mothers. The fatty acid composition of milk obtained from the stomachs of pups, and also that of the liver and cerebral cortex was analyzed. During lactation, the DHA level in milk was higher in the DHA group than in the soya group. The DHA levels in both the liver and cerebral cortex were also higher in the DHA group than in the soya group. However, the DHA levels in the cerebral cortex of the two groups were approximately the same in both weaned and adult rats. DHA intake was more effective in elevating the concentration of DHA in the liver and cerebral cortex of suckling pups than in weanling pups.