Effect of a rumen-protected conjugated linoleic acid mixture on hepatic lipid metabolism in heifers

This study was performed to assess the effects of rumen-protected conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on hepatic lipid metabolism in heifers. In particular, it was of interest whether feeding CLA causes development of fatty liver as observed recently in mice. Thirty-six growing heifers with an initial body weight of 185 kg were allotted to three treatment groups and fed daily 250 g of different rumen-protected fats for 16 weeks: The control group received 250 g of a CLA-free control fat, the CLA100 group received 100 g of a CLA fat containing 2.4% of cis-9, trans-11 CLA and 2.1% of trans-10, cis-12 CLA and 150 g control fat and the CLA250 group received 250 g of the CLA fat. CLA supplementation had no effect on animal performance parameters, liver weight and hepatic triglyceride concentration. Moreover, mRNA expression of hepatic genes involved in lipogenesis, β-oxidation and fatty acid transport was not influenced by dietary CLA. The fatty acid composition of hepatic total lipids, with particular consideration of ratios of fatty acids indicative of Δ9-, Δ6- and Δ5-desaturation, was also less influenced by dietary CLA. In conclusion, the study shows that dietary rumen-protected CLA has less effect on hepatic lipid metabolism in young heifers and does not induce the development of a fatty liver such as in mice.