The maternal diet and its effect on the lipid composition and osmotic fragility of neonatal ovine erythrocytes.

Two groups of pregnant ewes were fed either a control diet or one in which part of the concentrate ration was replaced during the last 8 weeks of gestation with a protected polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplement. The feeding of the PUFA diet resulted in significantly higher proportions of linoleic acid in the plasma lipids of the ewes and both linoleic and arachidonic acids in the plasma lipids of the lambs. The erythrocytes were composed almost totally of free cholesterol and phospholipids and, although no significant difference was observed in the overall phospholipid compositions of the erythrocytes from the two groups of lambs, there were differences from those of the adult. Fatty acid analysis of the erythrocyte phospholipids showed marked difference between ewes and lambs and also between the two groups of lambs. In particular, the proportions of linoleic and arachidonic acids were higher in the erythrocyte phospholipids from PUFA lambs compared with those from control lambs. This compositional change correlated with a greater resistance to haemolysis and it is suggested that this might be indicative of beneficial effects on the membrane stability of other cells.