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Influence of neonatal age on changes in fatty acid composition of microsomal lipids induced by long-term and
Insights
Dietary cholesterol significantly alters chick liver fatty acid profiles, increasing polyunsaturated fatty acids. These changes are age-dependent and reversible with standard diets in younger chicks.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Animal Nutrition
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Lipid metabolism and fatty acid composition in avian liver microsomes are crucial for development.
- Postnatal development influences fatty acid profiles, with a general increase in the unsaturation index.
- Understanding dietary impacts on lipid profiles is key for nutritional research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of dietary cholesterol on liver microsomal fatty acid composition in developing chicks.
- To determine the influence of age and duration of cholesterol feeding on these alterations.
- To assess the reversibility of cholesterol-induced fatty acid changes.
Main Methods:
- Chicks were fed diets supplemented with 2% cholesterol from hatching.
- Fatty acid composition of liver microsomes was analyzed at various time points.
- Dietary interventions (switching to standard diet) were implemented to assess reversibility.
Main Results:
- Cholesterol supplementation decreased palmitic acid and increased polyunsaturated fatty acids, with maximum effects by day 19.
- Short-term (48h) cholesterol feeding caused more pronounced alterations.
- Reversion of effects was observed in chicks switched to a standard diet after 10 days of cholesterol feeding, but not after 24 days.
Conclusions:
- Dietary cholesterol significantly modifies chick liver fatty acid composition in an age-dependent manner.
- The duration of cholesterol exposure influences the persistence of these alterations.
- Reversibility of dietary cholesterol effects is dependent on both age and duration of exposure.
Abstract:
Changes observed as a function of chick age in fatty acid composition of lipids from liver microsomes were considerably small, while the unsaturation index increased throughout postnatal development. Supplementation of the diet with 2% cholesterol from hatching produced a significant decrease in the levels of palmitic acid and a clear increase in those of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Maximum effects were attained on day 19 of treatment. Alterations in the fatty acid composition were more pronounced after short-term (48 h) cholesterol feeding. Administration for 48 h of a standard diet to chicks fed a cholesterol diet for 10 days from hatching restored the levels of fatty acids to those of the controls. However, when cholesterol feeding was prolonged for 24 days from hatching, no effect was found after the same treatment. Suppression of the cholesterol diet for 48 h in animals cholesterol fed for 48 h had no effect in 12-day-old chicks while the change to a standard diet produced a reversion of the effect of cholesterol feeding in 26-day-old animals.