MATERNAL FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTATION DURING GESTATION REDUCES HEPATIC TRIGLYCERIDES AND ENDOCANNABINOID CONTENT IN NEWBORN/OFFSPRING OF OBESE DAMS.

Maternal high-fat (HF) diet increases the risk of obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the offspring. Both obesity and NAFLD have been associated with increased tonus of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is composed of the endocannabinoids (ECs) anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), which are synthetized by the enzymesN-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) and diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL), act through cannabinoids receptors (CB1 and CB2) and are metabolized by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). ECS activity and hepatic lipid metabolism can be modulated by dietary fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty acids, present in fish oil (FO). However, it is unknown whether FO supplementation in the maternal diet would modulate the liver ECS of the offspring.