Abstract Abstract 209

Background/aim. LCPUFAs are present in breast milk. The brains of babies on BM have higher levels of C20:4n3 (AA) and C22:6n3 (DHA) than the ones of formula fed babies, probably with a better early cognitive development. Corn oil contains C18:2n6 (LA) up to a 58% wt/wt, this great amount could impair desaturation of n3 series. Aim: To know if n3 series content in brain will decrease in suckling rats, whose mothers are fed with an enriched LA diet.

Methods. After normal pregnancy and delivery a dam with 10 pups was fed with standard diet, containing LA 34.3% wt/wt. Another with 8 pups was fed with the same diet but embebed in corn oil, implying a gain of 2.9±0.9 g/day from P1 to P21. After weaning at P21 day, they were sacrified at P30 day. Brain were removed, frozen at -70°C than homogeneized and brain phospholipids obtained. C6-C24 sat/unsat and trans C18 were measured through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.Table On standard diet tC18:1 (2.2% wt/wt) and t18:2n6(1% wt/wt) were slightly higher. Minimal changes were observed in FA shorter than 18 carbons.

Table 1 Results (% wt/wt, mean(SD))
Full size table

Conclusion: Supplementation with corn oil to breast feeding dams induce changes in the brain FA pattern, even increasing of n3 series.