Comparative serum fatty acid profiles of captive and free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in Namibia
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Date
2016Author
Tordiffe, Adrian S.W.
Mienie, Lodewyk J.
Wachter, Bettina
Heinrich, Sonja K.
Reyers, Fred
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Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are highly specialised large felids, currently listed as vulnerable
on the IUCN red data list. In captivity, they are known to suffer from a range of chronic
non-infectious diseases. Although low heterozygosity and the stress of captivity have been
suggested as possible causal factors, recent studies have started to focus on the contribution
of potential dietary factors in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Fatty acids are an
important component of the diet, not only providing a source of metabolisable energy, but
serving other important functions in hormone production, cellular signalling as well as providing
structural components in biological membranes. To develop a better understanding
of lipid metabolism in cheetahs, we compared the total serum fatty acid profiles of 35 captive
cheetahs to those of 43 free-ranging individuals in Namibia using gas chromatographymass
spectrometry. The unsaturated fatty acid concentrations differed most remarkably
between the groups, with all of the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids,
except arachidonic acid and hypogeic acid, detected at significantly lower concentrations in
the serum of the free-ranging animals. The influence of age and sex on the individual fatty
acid concentrations was less notable. This study represents the first evaluation of the serum
fatty acids of free-ranging cheetahs, providing critical information on the normal fatty acid
profiles of free-living, healthy individuals of this species. The results raise several important
questions abou
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10394/19921https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0167608
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/authors?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167608