Canola oil is protective against macrophage infiltration into subcutaneous adipose tissue of swine

Abstract

Omega 3 fatty acids (FA) possess anti‐inflammatory properties and attenuate inflammatory events linked to obesity, including macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. The anti‐inflammatory properties of dietary n‐3 fatty acids (FA) have been primarily attributed to dietary sources of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). However, the potential benefit of dietary α‐linolenic acid (αLA) to alleviate inflammation has not been determined. We hypothesized that EPA and DHA production from dietary αLA metabolism would be sufficient to attenuate inflammation in pigs fed a high fat diet. Pigs were fed a diet containing either 25.4% canola oil, 28% lard, or 0.5% canola and 0.5% lard (control) for 11 weeks. Gas chromatography detected EPA and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) in the liver tissue of the canola and control diet fed pigs. EPA was also in the subcutaneous (SQ) adipose tissue of pigs fed canola oil. DHA was not detected in any tissue. Macrophage infiltration was assessed based on expression of the porcine macrophage specific gene swine workshop cluster 3 (SWC3) as determined by quantitative PCR. SWC3 transcript abundance in SQ adipose tissue was lower in pigs fed the canola oil vs. those fed the lard (p=0.04) or control (p=0.03) diets. These data suggest that a diet rich in αLA creates a tissue specific fatty acid profile that protects against the infiltration of macrophages into SQ adipose tissue.Grant Funding SourceIowa State University