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The Fat-1 Mouse has Brain Docosahexaenoic Acid Levels Achievable Through Fish Oil Feeding

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Abstract

Fat-1 transgenic mice endogenously convert n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The aims of this study were to test whether a) fish oil feeding can attain similar brain n-3 PUFA levels as the fat-1 mouse, and b) fat-1 mouse brain docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3; DHA) levels can be potentiated by fish oil feeding. Fat-1 mice and their wildtype littermates consumed either a 10% safflower oil (SO) or a 2% fish oil and 8% safflower oil chow (FO). Brain total lipid and phospholipid fraction fatty acids were analyzed using GC-FID. Wildtype mice fed FO chow had similar brain levels of DHA as fat-1 mice fed SO chow. Fat-1 mice fed FO chow had similar brain n-3 PUFA levels as fat-1 mice fed SO chow. In conclusion, brain levels of DHA in the fat-1 mouse can be obtained by and were not further augmented with fish oil feeding.

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Abbreviations

20:4n-6:

Arachidonic acid

ChoGpl:

Choline glycerophospholipids

DHA:

Docosahexaenoic acid

EtnGpl:

Ethanolamine glycerophospholipids

FO:

2% fish oil, 8% safflower oil chow

18:1:

n-9 oleic acid

16:0:

Palmitic acid

PtdIns:

Phosphatidylinositol

PtdSer:

Phosphatidylserine

PUFA:

Polyunsaturated fatty acid

SO:

10% safflower oil chow

18:0:

Stearic acid

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to DWL Ma and RP Bazinet, and from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to RP Bazinet. SK Orr received financial support from NSERC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Sarah K. Orr, Jasmin Y. M. Tong, David W. L. Ma & Richard P. Bazinet

  2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jing X. Kang

  3. Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Animal Science/Nutrition Building, Rm 342, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada

    David W. L. Ma

Authors
  1. Sarah K. Orr
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  2. Jasmin Y. M. Tong
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  3. Jing X. Kang
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  4. David W. L. Ma
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  5. Richard P. Bazinet
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David W. L. Ma.

Additional information

S. K. Orr and J. Y. M. Tong contributed equally to this work.

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Orr, S.K., Tong, J.Y.M., Kang, J.X. et al. The Fat-1 Mouse has Brain Docosahexaenoic Acid Levels Achievable Through Fish Oil Feeding. Neurochem Res 35, 811–819 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-010-0139-x

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