A supply of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) is essential for fetal development. Objective: We assessed placental transfer of 13C-labelled fatty acids (FA) 12 hours after oral application. Design: 11 pregnant women received 12h before elective caesarean section 0.5mg/kg 13C-palmitic acid (PA, 16:0), 13C-oleic acid (OA, 18:1n-9), 13C-linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) and 0.1mg/kg 13C-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) orally. Maternal blood samples, venous cord blood and placental tissue were collected and FA concentrations and their tracer content determined. Results: Most 13C-PA and 13C-OA in maternal plasma were in triglycerides (TG), while 13C-LA and 13C-DHA were mainly found in both plasma phospholipids and TG. Placenta/maternal plasma ratios and fetal/maternal plasma ratios for 13C-DHA were higher than for any other FA. Conclusions: We found a significantly higher ratio of 13C-DHA concentrations between cord to maternal plasma than for the other FA, in agreement with preferential transfer of DHA across the placenta.

Populations at risk for tuberculosis (TB) may have a low n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status. Our research previously showed that post-infection supplementation of n-3 long-chain PUFA (LCPUFA) in TB without TB medication was beneficial in n-3 PUFA sufficient but not in low-status C3HeB/FeJ mice. In this study, we investigated the effect of n-3 LCPUFA adjunct to TB medication in TB mice with a low compared to a sufficient n-3 PUFA status. Mice were conditioned on an n-3 PUFA-deficient (n- 3FAD) or n-3 PUFA-sufficient (n-3FAS) diet for 6 weeks before TB infection. Postinfection at 2 weeks, both groups were switched to an n-3 LCPUFA [eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] supplemented diet and euthanized at 4- and 14- days post-treatment. Iron and anemia status, bacterial loads, lung pathology, lung cytokines/chemokines, and lung lipid mediators were measured. Following 14 days of treatment, hemoglobin (Hb) was higher in the n-3FAD than the untreated n-3FAS group (p = 0.022), whereas the n-3FAS (drug) treated control and n-3FAS groups were not. Proinflammatory lung cytokines; interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p = 0.011), IL-1a (p = 0.039), MCP1 (p = 0.003), MIP1- a (p = 0.043), and RANTES (p = 0.034); were lower, and the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-4 (p=0.002) and growth factor GMCSF (p=0.007) were higher in the n-3FAD compared with the n-3FAS mice after 14 days. These results suggest that n-3 LCPUFA therapy in TB-infected mice, in combination with TB medication, may improve anemia of infection more in low n-3 fatty acid status than sufficient status mice. Furthermore, the low n-3 fatty acid status TB mice supplemented with n-3 LCPUFA showed comparatively lower cytokine-mediated inflammation despite presenting with lower pro-resolving lipid mediators.