High dietary linoleic acid affects the fatty acid compositions of individual phospholipids from tissues of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Association with stress susceptibility and cardiac lesion

Citation

Bell JG, McVicar AH, Park MT & Sargent JR (1991) High dietary linoleic acid affects the fatty acid compositions of individual phospholipids from tissues of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Association with stress susceptibility and cardiac lesion. Journal of Nutrition, 121 (8), pp. 1163-1172. http://jn.nutrition.org/content/121/8/1163.full.pdf+html

Abstract
For 16 wk Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) post-smolts were fed practical-type diets that contained either fish oD (FO) or sunflower oil (SO) as the lipid component. Both diets contained adequate (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PCIFA). All the phospholipids of heart and liver from SO-fed fish had increased levels of 18:2(n-6), 20:2(n-6) and 20:3(n-6); phosphatidyl choline (PC) and phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) also had increased 20:4(n-6). There was a general decrease in 20:5(n-3) in the phospholipids, reflected in an in crease in the 20:4(n-6)/20:5(n-3) ratio, especially in PC and PE. The fatty acid compositions of phospholipids from brain and retina were much less affected by dietary linoleate than those of heart and liver. Fish fed SO developed severe heart lesions that caused thinning of the ventricular wall and muscle necrosis. The fish fed SO also were susceptible to a transportation-induced shock syndrome that caused 30% mortality. These results es tablish that a diet with a low (n-3)/(n-6) ratio can cause changes in fatty acid metabolism that are deleterious to the health of salmonid fish, especially when subjected to stress.

Keywords
linoleic acid; fish; stress; heart; phospholipids

Journal
Journal of Nutrition: Volume 121, Issue 8

People

Professor Gordon Bell

Emeritus Professor, Institute of Aquaculture