Essential Fatty Acids and the Cat

Abstract— The physiology of essential fatty acid metabolism in the cat is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on those aspects of the n:6 and n:3 fatty acids, their metabolites and interactions, which relate primarily to the skin. The functional roles, if known, of the fatty acids are discussed. Recent clinical research into the use of essential fatty acid supplements in the management of feline dermatoses is presented. Current indications for the therapeutic supplementation with essential fatty acids are summarised.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF DIFFUSE HEPATOCELLULAR DISORDERS IN DAIRY CATTLE

Ultrasonography of the liver was performed in 200 Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle using a 3.5 MHz transducer with a linear array electronic scanner. Liver samples were taken, processed and examined microscopically and the fat occupying rate was calculated. The hepatic ultrasonograms were evaluated according to the presence of bright pattern, dark pattern, deep attenuation, vascular blurring and blurring of edges. Of the 200 animals, 96 had a normal liver, 63 had hydropic degeneration of the liver, 37 had fatty infiltration of the liver, 3 had liver dystrophy and I had hepatic amyloidosis, diagnosed through histopathological examination. Amyloidosis was characterized by bright pattern and blurring of edges. Liver dystrophy had higher percentages of bright pattern and blurring of edges than normal liver. Hydropic degeneration had higher percentages of dark pattern and blurring of edges than normal liver. Fatty infiltration had higher percentages of bright pattern, deep attenuation, vascular blurring and blurring of edges than normal liver. The present results suggest that different ultrasonographic patterns can be observed in various diffuse hepatocellular disorders in dairy cattle     

Diurnal and individual variations in bile acids in the plasma of normal dairy cows

Blood samples were collected every 2 h during a 24 h period from 6 cows of one herd and 10 cows of another herd. In a third herd 9 cows were sampled every 2 h from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Concentrations of total bile acids, acetoacetate, glucose and free fatty acids were determined in blood plasma. A marked difference in individual bile acid concentrations and patterns of diurnal variation was found. For most cows the highest bile acid values were observed between 2 and 6 a.m. (overall mean (+/- SD) at 6 a.m.: 104 +/- 84 mumol/l, range: 20-307 mumol/l). Fourteen cows with a bile acid value greater than 90 mumol/l at 6 a.m. ("high BA") were characterized as a group by showing a pronounced decrease in the mean bile acid concentration after morning feeding. In the group of 11 cows with a 6 a.m. bile acid value less than 90 mumol/l ("low BA") the time of day did not contribute significantly to the bile acid variation. For the "high BA" group a nearly synchronous variation between the mean values of the 3 feeding dependent parameters (acetoacetate, glucose and free fatty acids) and the mean values of bile acids was found. The within animal coefficients of correlation between bile acids and the feeding dependent parameters were significantly higher in the "high BA" group than in the "low BA" group. No direct connection was found between bile acid levels and the quantity of concentrates fed or the individual milk yield.     

Serum 5'nucleotidase activity in rats: a method for automated analysis and criteria for interpretation

A manual kit for determining serum 5'nucleotidase (5'NT, EC 3.1.3.5) activity was adapted for use with rat samples on a large discrete clinical chemistry analyzer. The precision of the method was good (within-run C.V. = 2.14%; between-run C.V. = 5.5%). A comparison of the new automated method with a manual and semi-automated method gave regression statistics of y = 1.18X -3.66 (Sy. x = 4.54), and y = 0.733X + 1.97 (Sy. x = 1.69), respectively. Temperature conversion factors provided by the kit manufacturer for human samples were determined to be inaccurate for converting results from rat samples. Analysis of components contributing to normal variation in rat serum 5'NT activity showed age and sex to be major factors. Increased serum 5'NT activity was observed in female rats when compared to male rats beginning at about 5 to 6 weeks of age. An analysis of variance of serum 5'NT, alkaline phosphatase, and GGT activities observed over a 9-week period in normal rats suggests several advantages for 5'NT as a predictor of biliary lesions in rats.     

羊、鸡抗鼠脂肪细胞膜抗血清对大鼠体脂与生长性能的影响

应用提取的鼠脂肪细胞膜分别免疫羊和鸡 ,所产生的抗血清用于 Wistar大鼠被动免疫。实验 1: 组腹腔注射羊正常血清 , 组腹腔注射羊抗鼠脂肪细胞膜抗血清 ,剂量均为 1m L /只 ,连续注射 4 d。结果表明 ,羊抗鼠脂肪细胞膜抗血清免疫促进了大鼠体增重 ,降低了体脂沉积 ,与对照组相比 ,7周末体重增加 6 .35 % (P<0 .0 5 ) ,饲料摄入增加6 .85 % (P<0 .0 1) ,料重比 (F/G)提高 4 5 .0 0 % (P<0 .0 5 ) ;肾周、附睾、网膜脂肪垫重量分别降低 2 3.92 % (P<0 .0 5 )、34.4 5 % (P<0 .0 5 )、0 .98% ,脂肪总量降低 2 0 .92 %。实验 2 :1组腹腔注射鸡正常血清 ,2组腹腔注射鸡抗鼠脂肪细胞膜抗血清 ,剂量均为 1m L/只 ,连续注射 4 d。结果表明 ,鸡抗鼠脂肪细胞膜抗血清免疫对大鼠的生长发育产生了不利影响 ,7周末 ,免疫大鼠平均体重较对照组减少 4 0 g(P<0 .0 5 ) ,饲料摄入显著降低 (P<0 .0 1) ;对体脂的沉积和血液中 TG和 FFA的影响没有规律 ,且无统计学意义     

Tall oil fatty acid inclusion in the diet improves performance and increases ileal density of lactobacilli in broiler chickens

1. Studies were conducted with tall oil fatty acids (TOFA) to determine their effect on broiler chicken performance and ileal microbiota. TOFA, a product originating from coniferous trees and recovered by fractional distillation of side-streams from pulp production, mainly comprises free long-chain fatty acids (~90%) and resin acids (~8%). Conjugated linolenic acids and pinolenic acid are characteristic fatty acid components of TOFA.

2. TOFA products at 750 mg/kg feed were tested in two 35-day broiler chicken trials, each using a wheat soya-based diet and with 12 replicate pens per treatment. In both trials, TOFA improved body weight gain at all time points (P < 0.001) and feed conversion efficiency during the first 21 days (P < 0.01). Two different dry TOFA formulations (silica carrier and palm oil coating) were tested and showed performance effects similar to liquid TOFA.

3. Ileal digesta of the broiler chickens was analysed for total eubacteria, Lactobacillus spp., Enterococcus spp., Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens on days 14 and 35. TOFA significantly increased total eubacteria and lactobacilli density on day 14 (P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between these bacterial groups and broiler body weight on day 14 (P < 0.01).

4. A numerical reduction in C. perfringens was observed. In vitro growth inhibition studies showed that C. perfringens was strongly inhibited by 10 mg/l TOFA (P < 0.001), while common lactobacilli were resistant to >250 mg/l. The in vitro results were thus in line with in vivo observations.

5. The mechanisms behind the bacterial shifts and their role in performance improvement are unknown. Further purification of TOFA components is needed to identify the effective agents.     

The effect of maternal obesity on fatty acid transporter expression and lipid metabolism in the full‐term placenta of lean breed swine

This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of back‐fat thickness (BF), at mating of sows, on the maternal and newborn circulating lipids, expression of placental fatty acids (FA) transporters and lipid accumulation in placenta. Full‐term placentas were obtained by vaginal delivery from BFI (9–14 mm; n = 37), BFII (15–19 mm; n = 43) and BFIII (20–27 mm; n = 38) sows according to BF at mating, and frozen placental sections were analysed for fat accumulation. Blood samples were collected from the sows of day 105 pregnancy and from cord blood at delivery. mRNA and protein expression levels were evaluated with real‐time RT‐PCR and Western blotting. Our results demonstrated that BFII females had significantly increased litter weight and placental efficiency, decreased maternal triglyceride (TG) and non‐esterified fatty acids (NEFA) levels, decreased maternal IL‐6, TNFα and leptin levels compared to BFIII females (p < .05). BFIII sows were associated with significantly decreased newborn TG levels, increased newborn glucose, IL‐6 and TNFα levels compared to BFI or BFII sows (p < .05). BFI and BFII females had significantly decreased placental TG, NEFA and cholesterol (CHOL) contents compared to BFIII females (p < .05). Moreover, decreased CD36, FATP1, FABP4, and FABP1 mRNA and protein and FATP4 protein expression, and increased LPL activity were also observed in BFIII group compared with BFII group (p < .05). PPARγ mRNA and protein and lipogenic genes such as SREBP‐1c, ACSL1, ACCα, FAS and SCD mRNA expression were downregulated or upregulated, respectively, in the placentas of BFIII sows compared to BFI or BFII sows (p < .05). Overall, this study demonstrated that there is no advantage, in terms of litter live size, litter weight and placental FA transport and metabolism, in performing the mating of sows with BF>19 mm.     

Effects of a DHA‐rich unextracted microalgae as a dietary supplement on performance,carcass traits and meat fatty acid profile in growing‐finishing pigs

Two 125‐day experiments of the same design were conducted to evaluate the effects of a heterotrophically grown microalgae (AURA) containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on pig performance, carcass traits and the fatty acid composition of lean and adipose tissue. In each experiment, 144 Hypor pigs were blocked by sex, allocated to three treatment groups, and fed 0, 0.25% or 0.50% AURA in isonutritive, isocaloric diets. Pigs were weighed on days 0, 28, 56, 84 and 112. Feed and water intakes were measured every 28 days. Pigs were slaughtered on day 125. Data from the two studies were analysed as a single data set. Performance and carcass traits did not differ between treatments. Both microalgae treatment levels enriched (p < .05) Longissimus lumborum (LL) and backfat in DHA and improved (p < .05) their ratios of n‐6 to n‐3 fatty acids.     

浙江南部近海小黄鱼肌肉脂肪酸组成及食源指示分析

小黄鱼（Larimichthys polyactis）是我国近海重要的经济和优势鱼种,在食物网结构中起承上启下的关键作用。利用气相色谱质谱联用仪测定了浙江南部近海小黄鱼的肌肉脂肪酸含量并分析其组成变化特点,基于特征脂肪酸的食源指示功能开展小黄鱼的食性分析。结果表明：小黄鱼肌肉中共检测出30种脂肪酸,主要脂肪酸包括C16∶0、C17∶0、C18∶1n9c、C18∶3n3、C16∶1n7、C20∶1、C20∶4n6、C20∶5n3（EPA）和C22∶6n3（DHA）等,其中C16∶0含量最高（23.12%）,其次为C18∶1n9c（16.67%）、C16∶1n7（11.45%）和C22∶6n3（11.40%）;肌肉中不饱和脂肪酸（UFA）平均含量达到60.20%,显著高于饱和脂肪酸（SFA）的含量（39.80%）,DHA和EPA在机体中含量占比达15.54%,体现出小黄鱼肌肉具有较高营养价值;双因素方差分析显示饱和脂肪酸含量在体长组间存在显著差异,含量随着体长的增大而减小,而单不饱和脂肪酸（MUFA）含量存在显著的季节性差异;绝大多数特征脂肪酸在各季节的体长组间无显著差异,而120~139 mm体长组和>180 mm体长组的C16∶1n7、C20∶1和C18∶1n9c在冬季的含量显著小于其他季节;基于脂肪酸食源指示功能,小黄鱼属于浮游、底栖与游泳动物混合食性的鱼类,初始碳源包括浮游硅藻类、甲藻类和底栖生物等。本研究利用了特征脂肪酸稳定指示食物来源的特点,进一步补充和验证文献资料中小黄鱼的胃含物分析结果,为小黄鱼的摄食生态学研究提供重要参考。     

富硒麦芽对大鼠肝癌细胞增殖周期及凋亡的影响

以100 mg·L-1二乙基亚硝胺(DEN)诱发大鼠肝癌16周,同时分别饲喂含硒0.3、1.0、3.0 mg·kg-1富硒麦芽和含硒3.0 mg·kg-1亚硒酸钠饲料,停止诱癌及补硒处理2周后,处死大鼠.利用流式细胞术分析肝细胞增殖周期和细胞凋亡,探讨富硒麦芽对DEN诱发大鼠肝癌细胞周期及细胞凋亡的影响.结果表明: 与模型对照组比较,富硒麦芽组大鼠S期细胞显著减少,细胞增殖指数显著下降,而G0/G1期细胞显著增多,细胞凋亡率显著升高;与亚硒酸钠组比较,相同硒含量富硒麦芽组G0/G1期细胞和细胞凋亡率显著高于亚硒酸钠组,而S和G2/M期细胞显著低于亚硒酸钠组.证明富硒麦芽能干扰大鼠肝癌细胞增殖周期,阻断DNA合成与复制,使癌细胞在G1期堆积,再诱导G1期细胞发生凋亡,提示抑制癌细胞增殖和促进癌细胞凋亡可能是富硒麦芽发挥其抗癌作用的细胞学基础之一.