Maternal iron deficiency and its effect on essential fatty acid and eicosanoid metabolism and spatial memory in the guinea pig offspring.

Iron deficiency is prevalent among infants and pregnant women in industrialized country. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of moderate maternal iron deficiency on the offspring's fatty acid and eicosanoid metabolism and spatial memory in guinea pigs. An iron-sufficient (IS) or iron-deficient (ID) diet was fed 14 days before mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation. The pups were tested for spatial memory on post-natal days 4-7. On post-natal day 9, the biochemical analysis included the pup's brain fatty acid profiles, prostaglandin (PGE(2) and PGF(2alpha)) concentrations and cyclooxygenase II protein levels. Spatial memory and indices of eicosanoid metabolism were comparable in both dietary groups. However, n-3 fatty acids were significantly higher (p<0.05) in brain of pups from the ID group. The data suggest that maternal iron deficiency results in a modification of the fatty acid profile of the offspring's brain that is not associated with any spatial memory deficits during early development.