The proportion of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) plays an important role in regulating lipid metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios on body fat deposition, tissues fatty acid composition, and gene expression of liver lipid metabolism of silver foxes during the winter fur growth period.
Forty-eight age-matched male silver foxes with similar body weights were randomly divided into four dietary groups for 47 days, which were fed n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio with 3, 18, 41, and 136 experimental diets, respectively.
Dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio did not significantly influence fat deposition parameters except for hepatic fat content. The variation trend of the fatty acid composition of liver, intramuscular fat, and subcutaneous fat in silver fox was directly related to dietary fatty acid content (
In summary, silver foxes fed an n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio 18:1 diet (supplementing with 9.38% corn oil and 4.62% soybean oil) was more conducive to lipid decomposition, PUFA transport, and utilization of tissues, thereby meeting it for supplying energy and withstanding the cold.