Effect of n-3 and n-6 fatty acid supplementation on fetal, gestation and parturition in pregnant Sprague Dawley rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different ratio of n-6:n-3 on gestation and parturition as well as to determine the hormone concentration on plasma of the pregnant rats. At the end of the trial period, blood plasma was collected and analysed for progesterone, estradiol and prostaglandin F2α hormone (PGF2α) concentrations, and fatty acids profile. The results indicated that the group with a very low ratio of n-6:n3 fatty acids (diet 1) showed increased concentration of progesterone in the plasma (P<0.05), while the group with high ratio of n6:n3 fatty acids (diet 3) with high arachidonic acid (AA) showed significantly (P<0.05) increased concentration of estradiol and PGF2α in the plasma. The n-3polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in plasma of diet 1 group were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the other treatment diet groups. The total n-6 PUFA was significantly higher (P<0.05) in diet 3 group as compared to diet 1 group. In contrast, the number of implanted embryos was significantly lower (P