Gestational age dependent content, composition and intrauterine accretion rates of fatty acids in fetal white adipose tissue

Kuipers, Remko S.; Luxwolda, Martine F.; Offringa, Pieter J.; Martini, Ingrid A.; Rudy Boersma, E.; Janneke Dijck-Brouwer, D.A.; Muskiet, Frits A.J.

doi:10.1016/j.plefa.2011.10.007

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Volume 86, Issue 1 , Pages 39-49, January 2012

Gestational age dependent content, composition and intrauterine accretion rates of fatty acids in fetal white adipose tissue

Remko S. Kuipers
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
- Curaçao, Aruba, former Netherlands Antilles
- Corresponding author at: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Internal Post Code EA61, University Medical Center Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 50 361 0399/361 9228; fax: +31 50 361 2290.
Martine F. Luxwolda
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
Pieter J. Offringa
- St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Ingrid A. Martini
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
E. Rudy Boersma
- Kaapstad, South Africa
D.A. Janneke Dijck-Brouwer
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
Frits A.J. Muskiet
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands

Received 24 June 2011; received in revised form 9 October 2011; accepted 13 October 2011. published online 18 November 2011.

Abstract

Background

Little is known about the gestational age (GA) dependent content, composition and intrauterine accretion rates of fatty acids (FA) in fetal white adipose tissue (WAT).

Objective & design

To acquire this information, we collected abdominal subcutaneous WAT samples from 40 preterm and term fetuses. Their GA ranged from 22 to 43 weeks. FA were expressed as mg/g wet WAT and g/100g FA (g%). Intrauterine WAT FA accretion rates were estimated for appropriate (AGA) and large (LGA) for gestational age infants.

Results

From 25 to 40 weeks gestation, saturated-FA (SAFA) increased from 83 to 298mg/g WAT and monounsaturated-FA (MUFA) from 83 to 226mg/g WAT, while polyunsaturated-FA (PUFA) increased insignificantly from 18.0 to 23.2mg/g WAT. As percentages of total FA, SAFA increased from 46 to 55g%, MUFA decreased from 44 to 41g%, and PUFA from 10.3 to 4.26g%. Docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) accretion rates in WAT during the 3rd trimester for AGA infants were 88 and 193mg/week, respectively. Contemporaneous DHA and AA accretion rates for 4500g LGA infants were 184 and 402mg/week, respectively. Compared to the whole 3rd trimester, increment rates during the last 5 weeks of gestation were about 2-fold higher.

Conclusion

FA accretion rates, notably those of DHA and AA, may be important for designing nutritional regiments for preterm infants. The current WAT-DHA and WAT-AA accretion rates are considerably lower than previously reported in the literature.

Abbreviations: AA, arachidonic acid, AGA, appropriate for gestational age, AT, adipose tissue, BAT, brown adipose tissue, BHT, butylated hydroxytoluene, DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, FA, fatty acid, FAME, fatty acid methyl esters, LA, linoleic acid, LCSAFA, long-chain saturated fatty acids (≥16:0), LCPUFA=LCP, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, LGA, large for gestational age, MCSAFA, medium-chain saturated fatty acids (6:0 up to 14:0), MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid, PL, phospholipid, PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid, SAFA, saturated fatty acid, TAG, triacylglycerides, WAT, white adipose tissue