The transfer of docosahexaenoic acid from the yolk to the tissues of the chick embryo.

Changes in the amounts of the major fatty acids present in the lipids of the yolk complex and the embryo were delineated during embryogenesis of the chicken. The rates of transfer of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids from the lipids of the yolk complex were essentially identical. In contrast, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was preferentially transferred from the yolk complex at a rate which was significantly higher than that exhibited by the other major fatty acids. The rates of accumulation of both arachidonic acid and DHA in the lipids of the whole embryo were significantly greater than the rates observed for the C16 and C18 fatty acids, particularly between days 12 and 16 of the 21-day embryonic period. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of plasma lipid throughout development indicated that the triacylglycerol fraction contained relatively high proportions (up to approx. 14% w/w of total fatty acids) of DHA, but much lower proportions (approx. 3%) of arachidonic acid. In contrast, plasma phospholipid was enriched in arachidonic acid (up to approx. 18%), but contained much lower proportions (generally less than 3%) of DHA. A considerable amount of DHA was incorporated into adipose tissue triacylglycerol, so that by the time of hatching, the tissue represented a major store of this fatty acid. Over the hatching period, the amount of DHA in adipose triacylglycerol decreased dramatically, by up to 85%, whereas there was little or no change in the amounts of the other major fatty acyl components in this tissue. The amount of DHA as a component of brain phospholipid increased continuously throughout the developmental period studied. However, by the time of hatching, the amount of DHA in brain phospholipid represented less than 10% of the amount of this fatty acid originally present in the lipids of the yolk.