The effect of different sources of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids on serum lipid profile in Japanese quails and on vascular growth in the embryos vitelline membrane was verified. The birds were supplemented with fish oil, 2% and 4%, and soybean oil, 2% and 4%, and one control diet, without lipid supply. The enzymatic method with colorimetric reaction was used to estimate the profile of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL of the birds. Vitelline membrane vascularization was measured using the box-counting fractal dimension. The cholesterol concentration of the treated and control groups showed no difference. For HDL, the group treated with a higher proportion of fish oil, 4%, differed from other groups. The triglycerides levels of quails supplemented with fish oil were higher than the other groups. The fractal dimension of quail embryos vitelline membrane from the groups treated with 4% fish oil and 4% soybean oil was lower than the other groups, indicating antiangiogenic effects on the vascular formation process.
fatty acids; fractal; japanese quail; vitelline membrane; vascularization
