EFFECTS OF FEEDING CUPHEA OIL TO 3 GENERATIONS OF CBA/2 AND C57B1/6 MICE

Three generations of CBA/2 and C57B1/6 mice were reared on semipurified diets containing either 17.2% beef tallow and 3.5% corn oil or 8.6% beef tallow, 8.6% crude Cuphea oil and 3.5% corn oil. The Cuphea oil contained 76% decanoic acid; therefore, health effects of long-term feeding of moderate amounts of medium-chain triacylglycerols were evaluated. The reproductive performance of both strains of mice varied little with diet but, compared with the F1 generation, survival of F2 and F3 pups was diminished. At several time points during 13 wk, Cuphea feeding suppressed body weights and food intakes of males of three generations of both strains. But during long-term feeding of males (5-12 mon), Cuphea did not suppress body weight or food intake. Mice of both strains developed fatty livers. Mice of the CBA/2 strain had hepatic nodular hyperplasia. Cuphea oil feeding caused no specific pathological changes. Although medium-chain triacylglycerols have been reported to be hypocholesterolemic, the substitution of Cuphea for half of the dietary beef tallow did not suppress serum cholesterol concentrations in males aged 4-13 mon. The effects of long-term substitution of medium-chain triacylglycerols for beef tallow do not differ from feeding the beef tallow diet. Long-term and multigenerational feeding of crude Cuphea oil does not cause any specific toxic effect in mice.