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THE FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF SERUM, BREASTMILK AND FOETAL BRAIN IN TWO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS Correlation of Data from Ugandan and Danish Populations with The Topographic Distribution of some Disease Entities
Author(s) -
Hansen Inge Berg,
Clausen J.,
Somers K.,
Patel A. K.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1970.tb05794.x
Subject(s) - colostrum , breast milk , lactation , arachidonic acid , docosahexaenoic acid , composition (language) , phospholipid , polyunsaturated fatty acid , danish , zoology , fatty acid , umbilical cord , biology , endocrinology , physiology , medicine , chemistry , pregnancy , biochemistry , immunology , antibody , linguistics , philosophy , genetics , membrane , enzyme
ABSTRACT Topographic studies were made on the fatty acid composition of umbilical cord serum, maternal serum, and breast milk, as well as foetal and neonatal brains by studying and comparing data of material obtained from Uganda, East Africa, with those obtained from a Danish material. The umbilical cord serum has a significantly lower content of C 18:2 than maternal serum, but a higher content of C 18:0, C 20:3, and C 20:4. Compared with normal female sera, the maternal sera showed lower concentrations of C 14:0 and C 18:2, but a higher content of C 16:0. When compared with a corresponding Danish material, the Ugandan samples showed lower concentrations of C 18:0, whereas only minor differences could be observed among the polyunsaturated fatty acids. A comparison between Ugandan and Danish breast milk showed higher values for C 12:0 and C 14:0 and lower values for C 16:1, C 18:0, and C 18:1 in the Ugandan samples. Ugandan colostrum contained less C 12:0 and C 14:0 but more C16:0, C 16:1, C 18:0, and C 18:1 than milk produced later in the lactation period. The poly‐unsaturated fatty acids were present in similar amounts in all the groups of milk studied here. No significant changes in the fatty acid composition of total brain or that of the isolated phospholipid fractions (choline‐, ethanolamine‐, and serine‐phospho‐glycerides) could be demonstrated during the foetal period studied. A possibly significant increase in C 20:4 and decrease in C 14:0 was seen in the ethanolamine‐phospho‐glyceride fraction. This fraction of neonatal brain contained more C 18:O and less C18:l than the fraction foetal brain (possibly significant), and the neonatal swine‐phospho‐glyceride fraction more C 18: 1 than the foetal one. Several significant differences were observed by comparison of these results with a similar Danish material.