Long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids decline rapidly in milk from mothers delivering extremely preterm indicating the need for supplementation

Abstract

AimOur aim was to perform an in‐depth analysis of the composition of fatty acids in milk from mothers delivering extremely preterm babies. We investigated longitudinal changes in milk fatty acid profiles and the relationship between several types of fatty acids, including omega‐3 and omega‐6.MethodsMilk samples were collected at three stages of lactation from 78 mothers who delivered at less than 28 weeks of pregnancy at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden, from April 2013 to September 2015. Fatty acid composition was analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.ResultsA reduction in long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) was observed during the lactation period. The concentrations of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid declined from medians of 0.34 to 0.22 mol% and 0.29 to 0.15 mol%, respectively, between postnatal day 7 and a postmenstrual age of 40 weeks. Strong correlations were found between the intermediates of several classes of fatty acids, including omega‐3, omega‐6 and omega‐9.ConclusionA rapid reduction in LCPUFA content in the mother's milk during the lactation period emphasises the importance of fatty acid supplementation to infants born extremely preterm, at least during the period corresponding to the third trimester, when rapid development of the brain and adipose tissue requires high levels of LCPUFAs.

Influence of Human Milk and Parenteral Lipid Emulsions on Serum Fatty Acid Profiles in Extremely Preterm Infants

“…Total lipids were extracted from milk and FA methyl esters (FAMEs) prepared and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 18 In accordance with previous studies, no effect of pasteurization on the FA composition was noted. 19,20 Venous blood samples were collected from the infants at birth (cord blood), on postnatal days 1, 7, 14, and 28, and postmenstrual age (PMA) weeks 32, 36, and 40.…”

“…The results from this analysis are published elsewhere. 18 Frozen, anonymous donor milk samples from 6 mothers were obtained from Moder-smjölkcentralen at Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital. Total lipids were extracted from milk and FA methyl esters (FAMEs) prepared and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).…”

GGPP depletion initiates metaflammation through disequilibrating CYB5R3-dependent eicosanoid metabolism

“…The more interesting finding was that GGPP depletion was specific detrimental to neonatal mice but not to adult mice. This phenomenon may be explained as that the adult smooth muscle cells of the inducible KO animals is not sensitive to the MVA dysfunction, while perinatal smooth muscle does not, because 1) the accumulated lipid acids from breast milk are toxic to the SMC when they are not metabolized properly (40) ; 2) the perinatal SMC requires a large amount of new membrane that is primarily synthesized by cholesterol or MVA pathway.…”

“…Given the accumulated eicosanoids are a pathogenic factor for the inflammation and apoptosis, the neonatal animals in a suckling period would be expected more sensitive to GGPPS deletion because abundant polyunsaturated fatty acids were existed in mother milk (40), whereas the adult animal would be resistant to GGPPS deletion. To validate this expectation, we crossed Ggps1 flox/flox mice with SM22-CreERT2 mice and then examined the phenotypes of adult (Ggps1 SM22KO ) mice.…”

Lipid profiling of suction blister fluid: comparison of lipids in interstitial fluid and plasma

“…After analysis of CEs, the remaining sample was dried under N 2 and subjected to alkaline transesterification using sodium methoxide [27]. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry using an Agilent 7820 gas chromatograph coupled to an Agilent 5975 mass selective detector (Agilent Technologies, USA) [28]. FAMEs were identified by comparing retention time and mass spectra to authentic standards (FAME mixture ME 100, stearidonic acid, adrenic acid, osbond acid, and clupanodonic acid, all from Larodan AB, Solna, Sweden).…”