ABSTRACT:Oil with higher a content of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was administered for 4 weeks to experimental germ-free piglets and from 21 days of age the piglets were inoculated perorally with probiotic microorganisms Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei. Control piglets were administered saline solution in identical doses and starting from the fourth week were also supplemented with probiotics. At the age of 28 days, the number of Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei that had adhered to jejunal mucosa of experimental piglets was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to that in the control group. The differences in the number of lactobacilli, which colonised mucosa of the ileum and colon of experimental and control piglets, were insignificant. With the exception of the stomach, the pH level in the digestive tract of piglets was lower in the experimental piglets. Significantly higher levels of propionic (P < 0.05), acetoacetic and succinic (P < 0.01) acids were observed in germ-free experimental piglets in colon. The differences in the level of lactic and acetic acid were insignificant. PUFA-potentiated probiotics positively affected the adhesion of lactobacilli, pH and the level of organic acids in the digestive tract of germ-free piglets. Supplementation of oil containing ω-3 PUFA significantly increased the blood level of α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in experimental piglets at the expense of arachidonic acid in comparison with the control.

The metabolic and immunological indicators were determined in the blood of laying hens of ISa broWn hybrid divided into three groups, the control group and two experimental groups. the administration of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PuFa) in the form of linseed (Group 1) and fish oil (Group 2) and α-tocopherol as antioxidant to laying hens resulted in a significant increase in concentrations of high density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol (P < 0.05), eicosapentaenoic (ePa), docosahexaenoic (DHa) and α-linolenic acids (aa) in blood in comparison to the control group. Significantly lower levels of cholesterol (CHoL) were determined in both experimental groups at the third sampling (P < 0.05) and arachidonic acid (aa) in the fish group (P < 0.01). The metabolic activity of phagocytes and polyclonal activation of lymphocytes showed no significant differences and remained within the physiological range. oral administration of n-3 PuFa showed no significant increase of the immune response of experimental animals.