Maternal dietary fat intake during pregnancy and lactation may influence the bioavailability of essential lipophilic nutrients, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), that are important for both the mother and her child's development. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different maternal fat diets on fat absorption and pup brain development by analyzing gene expression. Rats were fed diets with different lipid matrices during pregnancy and lactation: diet A, mono and diglycerides (MDG) + soy lecithin phospholipids (PL)
diet B, MDG + soy lecithin PL + milk-derived PL
and a control diet. All diets contained the same amount of DHA. We determined maternal dietary fat absorption, as well as the offspring fatty acid (FA) profile in both plasma and brain samples at birth and in pups at 14 days post-natal. In addition, microarray analysis was performed to characterize the pup brain gene expression. Maternal dietary fat and DHA apparent absorption was enhanced only with diet B. However, we observed higher plasma DHA and total FA concentrations in lactating pups from the experimental groups A and B compared to the control. Both brain DHA and total FA concentrations were also higher in fetuses and 14-day-old pups from group A with respect to the control, with diet B following the same trend. Offspring brain gene expression was affected by both diets A and B, with changes observed in synaptic and developmental processes in the fetuses, and the detoxification process in 14-day-old pups. Incorporating MDG and PL-rich lipid matrices into maternal diets during pregnancy and lactation may be highly beneficial for ensuring proper neurodevelopment of the fetus and newborn.