Considering the numerous features of the metabolic syndrome found in rats depleted in long-chain polyunsaturated (n-3) fatty acids and in the perspective of further work conducted in (n-3)-depleted mice, the fatty acid profile of plasma and liver lipids was assessed in both male and female control and second-generation (n-3)-depleted mice. In addition to gender differences, the major alteration found in the (n-3)-depleted animals consisted in the expected severe depletion of plasma triacylglycerols and phospholipids, as well as liver phospholipids, in C20:5(n-3), C22:5(n-3) and C22:6(n-3). In plasma triacylglycerols, the weight percentages of C18:2(n-6) and C18:3(n-6) were lower in (n-3)-depleted mice than in control animals. In both plasma and liver phospholipids, however, the weight percentages of long-chain polyunsaturated (n-6) fatty acids (C20:4(n-6) and C22:4(n-6)) were higher in (n-3)-depleted mice than in control animals. The C16:1(n-7)/C16:0 and C18:1(n-9)/C18:0 ratio in both plasma and liver phospholipids were also increased in female (n-3)-depleted mice but not so in male animals. Highly significant correlations were found between the weight percentage of each fatty acid in liver versus plasma phospholipids. Taken as a whole, these findings indicate that second-generation mice depleted in (n-3) fatty acids represent a suitable model, in terms of the remodelling of the fatty acid profile in plasma and liver lipids, to investigate the metabolic and functional consequences of such a depletion.

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