Maternal Supplementation with Polyphenols and Omega-3 Fatty Acids during Pregnancy: Effects on Growth, Metabolism, and Body Composition of the Offspring.

Ana Heras-Molina,Consolación Garcia-Contreras,Beatriz Isabel,Cristina Óvilo,Antonio Gonzalez-Bulnes,Susana Astiz,Marta Vazquez-Gomez,Teresa Encinas,José Luis Pesantez-Pacheco

doi:10.3390/ani10111946

Ana Heras-Molina, Consolación Garcia-Contreras + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10111946

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Abstract

Simple SummaryThe present study aimed to determine benefits and risks of a dietary supplementation combining hydroxytyrosol and n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on developmental patterns and metabolic traits of offspring in swine, a model of intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) pregnancies. There were no deleterious effects on the reproductive traits of the sows and the postnatal features of the piglets. Piglets from the supplemented sows, in spite of a lower mean weight and corpulence at birth, showed higher average daily weight gain and fractional growth rate afterwards. Consequently, they reached higher weight and corpulence with increased muscle development and better lipidemic and fatty acids profiles than control offspring at juvenile stages.Maternal supplementation with antioxidants and n3 PUFAs may be a promising strategy to reduce the risk of intrauterine growth restriction and preterm delivery, which may diminish the appearance of low-birth-weight neonates. The present study aimed to determine benefits and risks of a dietary supplementation combining hydroxytyrosol, a polyphenol from olive leaves and fruits, and n3 PUFAs, from linseed oil, on developmental patterns and metabolic traits of offspring in swine, a model of IUGR pregnancies. The results obtained indicate that maternal supplementation with hydroxytyrosol and n-3 fatty acids during pregnancy has no deleterious effects on the reproductive traits of the sows (prolificacy, homogeneity of the litter, and percentage of stillborns and low-birth-weight, LBW, piglets) and the postnatal features of the piglets (growth patterns, adiposity, and metabolic traits). Conversely, in spite of a lower mean weight and corpulence at birth, piglets from the supplemented sows showed higher average daily weight gain and fractional growth rate. Thus, at juvenile stages afterwards, the offspring from the treated group reached higher weight and corpulence, with increased muscle development and better lipidemic and fatty acid profiles, in spite of similar adiposity, than offspring in the control group. However, much caution and more research are still needed before practical recommendation and use in human pregnancies.

Highlights

There is growing evidence about the benefits of maternal supplementation with antioxidant agents during compromised pregnancies
The fat content and fatty acids composition in the pigs were determined in samples of subcutaneous fat, longissimus dorsi (LD), biceps femoris (BF) and liver, obtained immediately after euthanasia at 60 and 180 days-old; visceral fat was analyzed at 180 days-old
The quantities of individual fatty acids expressed as g/100 g of total fatty acid content were used to calculate the proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), P

Summary

Introduction

There is growing evidence about the benefits of maternal supplementation with antioxidant agents during compromised pregnancies. In this sense, our group has recently shown the positive effect of supplementation with hydroxytyrosol on offspring traits in a swine model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and low-birth-weight (LBW) [1]). Hydroxytyrosol diminishes lipid peroxidation and increases the fetal availability of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3 and n6 PUFAs) [4]. The role of fatty acids as metabolic, structural, and signaling molecules makes them especially relevant for favoring fetal development during pregnancy [7]. The most important EFAs for fetal development are n3 and n6 PUFAs—eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosahexanoic (DHA) and arachidonic (AA) acids [10]

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