Effect of sex and age on fatty acid composition of Iberian swine foetuses exposed to maternal malnutrition

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is the consequence of inadequate placental supply of oxygen and/or nutrients during prenatal development. The adaptive response of the offspring is time-dependent, but there is also increasing evidence of a strong modulation by sex. The present study aimed to determine time-related changes and sex-related differences in fatty acid composition at non-adipose tissues involved in metabolism regulation during the development of IUGR fetuses. For that, we analyzed the liver and muscle (longissimus dorsi) fatty acids composition of IUGRs foetuses (obtained as consequence of maternal malnutrition) throughout pregnancy (Day 70 vs. 90) and sex-related effects (male vs. female). The final distribution of sampled foetuses was: 33 foetuses at Day 70 of pregnancy (13 females and 20 males), and 23 foetuses at Day 90, (10 females and 13 males). Both in liver and muscle a higher concentration of saturated fatty acids (SFA; P<0.005) was found in females when compared to male foetuses. A lower concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA; P<0.05) and C18:1/C18:0 and MUFA/SFA ratios (P<0.05 and P<0.005 respectively) in liver neutral fatty acids was observed for females vs. males. Moreover, the fatty acid composition changed with pregnancy time. Actually, both muscle and liver fatty acids changed showing lower concentration of total PUFA and n-6 PUFA (P<0.05 and P<0.0001 respectively) and higher MUFA/SFA ratio (P<0.05 and P<0.0005 respectively) at day 70 of gestation when compared to those values of polar fatty acids at day 90, independently of sex. In conclusion, the present study shows that prenatal developmental lipid traits are primarily determined by foetal sex but also by the progression of stress caused by maternal malnutrition.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	García-Contreras, C., Vázquez-Gómez, M., Astiz Blanco, Susana María, Torres-Rovira, L., Isabel, B., Óvilo Martín, Cristina, González De Bulnes, Antonio
Format:	artículo biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Universidad de Córdoba 2018
Subjects:	IUGR, Prenatal development,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12792/519 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/290619
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