Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation during pregnancy as phospholipids or triglycerides produces different placental uptake but similar fetal brain accretion in neonatal piglets

Abstract

The great variety of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid sources raises the question of the most adequate for using as a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplement during pregnancy. Placental and fetal availability of different DHA sources remains unclear. We investigated DHA availability in maternal lipoproteins, placenta and fetal tissues in pregnant sows fed DHA as phospholipid (PL) or triglyceride (TG) to identify the best DHA source during this period. Pregnant Iberian sows were fed with diets containing 0.8% DHA of total fatty acids as PL from egg yolk or TG from algae oil during the last third of gestation (40 days). Maternal tissues, placentas and fetal tissues were obtained at delivery and DHA quantified by gas-chromatography. MFSD2a carrier expression was analysed in both placenta and fetal brain by western blotting. Sows fed DHA-PL diet showed higher DHA incorporation in plasma LDL but not in plasma total lipids. No differences were found in DHA content between groups in maternal liver, adipose tissue or brain. Placental tissue incorporated more DHA in both total lipids and PL fraction in sows fed DHA-PL. However, this did not lead to an enhanced DHA accretion either in fetal plasma, fetal liver or fetal brain. MFSD2a expression was similar between both experimental groups. Maternal DHA supplementation during pregnancy in sow either as PL or TG produces similar DHA accretion in fetal tissues but not in placenta. Both fat sources are equally available for fetal brain.