Submitted on May 31, 2007
Accepted on August 24, 2007
Neonatal dietary supplementation of arachidonic acid increases prostaglandin levels in adipose tissue but does not promote fat mass development in guinea pigs
Olivier Aprikian1, Denis Reynaud2, Cecil Pace-Asciak2, Patricia Leone1, Florence Blancher1, Irina Monnard3, Christian Darimont3, and Katherine Mace4*
1 Nutrition & Health, Nestle Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland
2 Physiology and Experimental Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
3 Nutrition & Health, Nestle Research Center, Switzerland
4 Nutrition & Health, Nestle Research Centre, Lausanne 26, Switzerland
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: catherine.mace{at}rdls.nestle.com.
The role of arachidonic acid (AA) on the development of adipose tissue is still controversial since its metabolites, i.e. prostaglandins, can either stimulate or inhibit preadipocyte differentiation in vitro. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of early postnatal supplementation of AA on body weight and adipose tissue development, in guinea pigs. Male newborn guinea pigs were fed for 21 days (d21) with diets (milk and pellet) supplemented (+AA) or not (-AA) with 1.2% (total fatty acids) AA. From d21 to d105, both groups were fed a chow diet. The 21-days old +AA pups showed a 2-fold higher AA accretion in phospholipids associated with a 2- to 6-fold increase in several prostaglandins such as 6-keto PGF1
(the stable hydrolysis product of PGI2), PGF2, PGE2 and PGD2 in adipose tissue, compared to the -AA group. No difference in fat pad and body weight, aP2 and leptin gene expression in adipose tissue, fasting plasma glucose, free-fatty acids and triglyceride concentration was observed between groups at d21 or d105. These results show that dietary supplementation of AA during the suckling/weaning period increases prostaglandin levels in adipose tissue but does not influence early fat mass development in the guinea pig.
