Loading…

Transfer of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids from yolk to embryo during development of the king penguin

1  Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energétiques, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Associé à l'Université Louis Pasteur, 67087 Strasbourg, France; and 2  Avian Science Research Centre, Scottish Agricultural College, Ayr KA6 5HW, United Kingdom This study examines the transfer...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology integrative and comparative physiology, 2001-03, Vol.280 (3), p.843-R853
Main Authors: Decrock, Frederic, Groscolas, Rene, McCartney, Ruth J, Speake, Brian K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:1  Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energétiques, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Associé à l'Université Louis Pasteur, 67087 Strasbourg, France; and 2  Avian Science Research Centre, Scottish Agricultural College, Ayr KA6 5HW, United Kingdom This study examines the transfer of lipids from the yolk to the embryo of the king penguin, a seabird with a high dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids. The concentrations of total lipid, triacylglycerol (TAG), and phospholipid (PL) in the yolk decreased by ~80% between days 33  and 55  of development, indicating intensive lipid transfer, whereas the concentration of cholesteryl ester (CE) increased threefold, possibly due to recycling. Total lipid concentration in plasma and liver of the embryo increased by twofold from day 40  to hatching due to the accumulation of CE. Yolk lipids contained high amounts of C 20-22 n-3 fatty acids with 22:6(n-3) forming 4 and 10% of the fatty acid mass in TAG and PL, respectively. Both TAG and PL of plasma and liver contained high proportions of 22:6(n-3) (~15% in plasma and >20% in liver at day 33 ); liver PL also contained a high proportion of 20:4(n-6) (14%). Thus both 22:6(n-3) and 20:4(n-6), which are, respectively, abundant and deficient in the yolk, undergo biomagnification during transfer to the embryo. docosahexaenoic acid; arachidonic acid; yolk sac membrane
ISSN:0363-6119
1522-1490
DOI:10.1152/ajpregu.2001.280.3.r843