Effect of dietary fatty acid variation on mice adipose tissue lipid content and phospholipid composition

The objective of our research was to determine the effects of five different diets as a source of various groups of fatty acids on mice adipose tissue lipid content, phospholipid composition and fatty acid composition of adipose tissue total lipids and phospholipids. Beside the standard diet, diets enriched either with pumpkin-seed, olive or fish oil or lard were used for feeding wild type C57Bl/6 male mice aged 8-10 weeks for 3 weeks. In mice fed with diets enriched with oils/lard, relative adipose tissue mass decreased, comparing to standard diet fed mice. Adipose tissue total lipid content decreased significantly in olive and fish oil diet comparing to pumpkin-seed oil and standard diet. Analysis of the phospholipid classes showed that phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and sphingomyelin were common components in all diet types. The dominant storage form of fatty acids in adipose tissue total lipids were unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid prevailed), while in phospholipids, C18 acids prevailed (stearic acid was the main fatty acid) in all diets. Enrichment of the diet with specific oil or lard significantly changed the n-6/n-3 ratio. Fish oil diet provoked the highest reduction of that ratio, both in adipose tissue total lipids and in phospholipids. Obtained results imply that diet modification has an influence on adipose tissue lipid content and composition as well as remodelling process occurring in the adipose tissue phospholipids