A diet enriched in longer chain omega-3 fatty acids reduced placental inflammatory cytokines and improved fetal sustainability of C57BL/6 mice

Omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are important regulators of inflammatory response that may impact pregnancy outcome. The effects of breeding chow diets containing n-3 PUFA from either fish oil (FO) or soybean oil (SO) were investigated on tissue fatty acid composition, inflammatory cytokines and pregnancy outcome. Female C57BL/6 mice (7 weeks old) were fed FO or SO diets for 2 weeks before mating and throughout pregnancy. Animals were sacrificed before and during pregnancy at day 6.5, 12.5 and 18.5. The FO diet increased the incorporation of n-3 PUFA in placenta, with a concomitant decrease in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The FO diet increased the mRNA expression of placental specific PUFA transporter, which coincided with accretion of n-3 PUFA in fetal brain. Sites of fetal resorption were noticeable in the SO group but not in the FO group. N-3 PUFA may improve fetal sustainability via altering cytokine levels.