Comparative effects of equivalent intakes of 18:3 (n-3) and of marine (n-3) fatty acids on rat cardiac phospholipid contents and fatty acid compositions

Abstract Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed for 4 weeks purified diets containing 15% by weight of oil mixtures varying in the nature and content of (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) but supplying similar levels of 18:2 (n-6) (10% of the total dietary fatty acids) and of saturated fatty acids (19% of the total fatty acids). The First diet (“Low 18:3”) contained small amounts of 18:3 (0.5% of the total fatty acids), the second (“18:3”) contained linolenic acid (10% of the total fatty acids) as the only source of (n-3) PUFA and the third one (“LC (n-3)”) contained the same amount of long chain (n-3) PUFA (mainly 20:5 and 22:6). Heart phospholipid classes were separated b…