Recent studies have implicated n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the reduction of eicosanoid production in the bovine uterus. The objective of this study was to determine whether the effect of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C(20:5), n-3) on PGF2alpha production by bovine endometrial (BEND) cells is influenced by the quantity of linoleic acid (C(18:2), n-6) in the incubation medium. Confluent BEND cells were incubated in the absence (control) or presence of 100 microM of EPA for 24 h. After incubation, cells were rinsed and then stimulated with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu; 100 ng/mL) for 6 h. Additional sets of culture dishes were treated with a combination of EPA and increasing n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratios for 24 h and then challenged with PDBu for 6 h. The PDBu stimulated PGF2alpha secretion and upregulated steady-state concentrations of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase-2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta mRNA within 6 h. Preincubation of BEND cells with EPA for 24 h decreased PGF2alpha response to phorbol ester, but had no detectable effects on prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase-2 or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta mRNA abundance in PDBu-stimulated BEND cells. The inhibitory effect of EPA on PGF2alpha production was reverted in BEND cells treated with an increasing n-6-to-n-3 fatty acid ratio. Findings indicate that the net inhibition of endometrial PGF2alpha bioynthesis by n-3 fatty acids may vary depending on the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids in the uterus.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of feeding diets containing fat supplements enriched in either saturated fatty acids (n = 10), Ca salts of trans-octadecenoic fatty acids (tFA, n = 10) or Ca salts of safflower oil fatty acids (SFL, high in linoleic acid, n = 9) on performance, metabolic, and endocrine responses of periparturient Holstein cows. Dietary treatments were initiated at approximately 28 d before calculated calving dates and continued through 49 d postpartum. Blood samples for metabolite and hormone analyses were collected weekly beginning 1 wk before estimated calving date through 7 wk postpartum. Incorporation of tFA or SFL into the peripartum diet had no detectable effects on body weight or body condition score. Cows fed the SFL-enriched diet produced less milk fat and established a positive energy balance sooner after calving than those fed the tFA supplement. Analysis for individual fatty acids resulted in increased concentrations of trans 18:1 fatty acid and conjugated linoleic acid isomers in milk fat from cows supplemented with SFL. Across weeks, the average nonesterified fatty acids concentration in plasma was lower in cows fed the SFL-enriched diet than in those consuming the tFA-supplemented diet. Mean concentrations of plasma glucose, insulin-like growth factor-I, and progesterone were greater in cows fed the SFL-enriched diet compared with those fed the saturated fatty acid-supplemented diet. Feeding fat supplements that can suppress milk fat production during the early postpartum period may help minimize negative energy balance, reduce adipose tissue mobilization, and improve circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I and progesterone. Whether the SFL supplement would have similar effects without a decrease in milk fat production remains to be determined and warrants further investigation.

After parturition, immune functions such as lymphocyte response to mitogens and production of antibodies are depressed in dairy cows. Dietary regimens that improve the immune function of dairy cows after calving may improve uterine health and lead to earlier breeding after parturition. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of feeding a calcium salt of trans isomers of fatty acids (tFA) to periparturient Holstein cows on plasma biomarkers of inflammation. Dietary treatments were initiated approximately 28 d before expected calving date and continued through d 21 postpartum. Prepartum and postpartum diets were formulated to be isolipidic, containing 1.5% saturated fats (n = 15) or 1.8% tFA (n = 15). Multiparous cows were heavier at calving (+32%) and produced more milk (+17%) than primiparous cows. Periparturient tFA supplementation increased plasma PGF(2alpha) metabolite concentration in multiparous cows, but not in primiparous cows. Concentrations of prostaglandin E(2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-4 in plasma did not differ between diets and parities. Results raise the possibility that peripartum tFA supplementation may affect uterine health and reproductive efficiency of early lactation dairy cows through alteration of peripheral PGF(2alpha) concentration.

Recent interest in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) research stems from the well-documented anticarcinogenic, antiatherogenic, antidiabetic, and antiobesity properties of CLA in animal models. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of 2 CLA isomers (cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12) on phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu)-induced PGF2alpha production in cultured bovine endometrial (BEND) cells. Confluent BEND cells were incubated in the absence (control) or presence of 100 microM each of linoleic acid, cis-9,trans-11 CLA, or trans-10,cis-12 CLA for 24 h. After incubation, cells were rinsed and then stimulated with PDBu (100 ng/mL) for 6 h. Compared with untreated cells, PDBu stimulated PGF2alpha secretion (+25-fold) within 6 h. The increases in PGF(2alpha) secretion were paralleled by signifi-cant induction of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase-2 (PGHS-2) mRNA (+63-fold) and protein (+1.6-fold) expression. In spite of stimulatory effects on PGHS-2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARdelta) mRNA responses, CLA greatly decreased PGF2alpha production by PDBu-stimulated BEND cells. There was no evidence for PDBu or CLA modulation of PPARdelta protein synthesis in cultured BEND cells. Results indicated that CLA modulation of PGF2alpha production by BEND cells was not mediated through PGHS-2 or PPARdelta gene repression.

Extensive microbial biohydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the rumen reduces the essential fatty acids (EFA) available for absorption in ruminant animals, but there is no published documentation of ruminants developing EFA deficiency. In ruminants, most circulating PUFA are found in the phospholipid (PL) and cholesteryl ester lipid classes that have slow turn-over compared to other lipid classes. The objective of this experiment was to measure fatty acid esterification patterns of the non-EFA palmitic (16:0) and oleic acid (18:1), and the EFA linoleic (18:2) and linolenic acid (18:3) in small intestine, liver, and muscle tissue of cows and pigs to identify tissues participating in sequestration of these FA in less metabolically active lipid classes in ruminants. Bovine and porcine small intestine, liver, and muscle explants were prepared and incubated in media containing radiolabeled 16:0, 18:1, 18:2, or 18:3 to measure esterification of fatty acids into PL and TG. Neither bovine nor porcine small intestine explants preferentially incorporated non-EFA compared to EFA into PL vs TG. Bovine liver explants esterified a larger proportion of EFA than non-EFA into PL compared to TG, while incorporation was similar among the FA tested in porcine liver explants. Bovine muscle explants showed preferential incorporation of EFA into PL rather than TG. Results show that bovine and porcine liver and muscle esterify EFA and non-EFA differently and that the conservation of EFA in ruminants is a result of preferential incorporation of EFA into PL mediated by bovine liver and muscle, but not the small intestine.