Study of the lymphocyte proliferation of neonate foals from mares supplemented with linseed oil and soybean oil

Abstract

Recent study of animal species indicates that the acid dietary n-3 fatty acids (FA) supplementation may exert immunomodulatory effects, mainly through changes in the production of inflammatory mediators. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the supplementation of pregnant mares with sources of omega-3 or omega-6 alter the lymphoproliferative response of their foals against Rhodococcus equi surface proteins (APTX). Three groups of mares were used in this study. They were denominated as C (without supplementation), OS (soybean oil supplementation) and OL (linseed oil supplementation), which were consisted of four, five and five mares, respectively. The soybean oil or linseed oil was included in the feeding of mares during the last trimester of pregnancy until two months postpartum. Samples were collected in the 7 and 30 day after foal's birth. The OS group maintained a lymphoproliferative activity similar to that found in C group in both periods analyzed. The OL group showed a lymphoproliferative activity statistically higher than found in two others at day 7 of life. Our results suggest that supplementation of mares in late pregnancy with linseed oil can promote a higher proliferative response in vitro of their foal's peripheral blood mononuclear cell against APTX.