Preconceptional omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on a micronutrient-deficient diet improves the reproductive cycle in Wistar rats

Abstract

Folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies are associated with high reproductive risks ranging from infertility to fetal structural defects. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of preconceptional omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) to a micronutrient-deficient diet on the reproductive cycle in Wistar rats. Female rats were divided into five groups from birth and throughout pregnancy: a control group, a folic acid-deficient (FD) group, a vitamin B12-deficient (BD) group, a folic acid-deficient + omega-3 fatty acid-supplemented (FDO) group and a vitamin B12 deficient + omega-3 fatty acid-supplemented (BDO) group. Dams were killed on gestation Day 20 and their ovaries and mammary glands were dissected out and subjected to histological examination. Maternal micronutrient deficiency (FD and BD groups) resulted in an abnormal oestrous cycle (P < 0.001), whereas omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (FDO and BDO groups) restored the oestrous cycle to normal. There were fewer corpora lutea in the ovaries of FD rats compared with controls. In addition, rats in both the FD and BD groups exhibited an absence of lactating ducts in their mammary glands compared with controls. The findings of the present study indicate, for the first time, that maternal micronutrient deficiency affects the oestrous cycle and morphology of the ovary and mammary glands. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation ameliorated these effects. This may have implications for infertility and pregnancy outcomes.