Abstract
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, has significant health benefits. Previous studies reported decreased levels of DHA and DHA-containing phosphatidylcholines in the brain of animals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia; furthermore, DHA supplementation has been found to improve brain DHA levels and memory efficiency in dementia. Oil extracted from the seeds of Plukenetia volubilis (green nut oil; GNO) is also expected to have DHA like effects as it contains approximately 50% α-linolenic acid, a precursor of DHA. Despite this, changes in the spatial distribution of DHA in the brain of animals with dementia following GNO or DHA supplementation remain unexplored. In this study, desorption electrospray ionization imaging mass spectrometry (DESI-IMS) was applied to observe the effects of GNO or DHA supplementation upon the distribution of DHA in the brain of male senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mice, a mouse model of dementia. DESI-IMS revealed that brain DHA distribution increased 1.85-fold and 3.67-fold in GNO-fed and DHA-fed SAMP8 mice, respectively, compared to corn oil-fed SAMP8 mice. Memory efficiency in SAMP8 mice was also improved by GNO or DHA supplementation. In summary, this study suggests the possibility of GNO or DHA supplementation for the prevention of dementia.
Highlights
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the most important omega-3 (ω -3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) found in the brain, is essential for the development and function of the brain [1,2]
DESI-imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) experiments in negative mode over 100–1200 m/z range were performed, and mass spectra from senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 8 (SAMP8) mouse brains were acquired in order to analyze changes in the lipoquality following GNO or DHA supplementation
Seven ions of interest were observed across the three groups with m/z 279.23, 281.25, 301.22, 303.23, 327.23, 329.25, and 331.27; these ions corresponded to Linoleic acid (LA) (C18:2), Oleic acid (OA) (C18:1), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
Summary
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the most important omega-3 (ω -3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) found in the brain, is essential for the development and function of the brain [1,2]. Dietary supplementation of DHA has attracted significant interest in the last few decades for its several health benefits [3]. DHA has been linked to a lower risk of several prevalent diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [4,5,6]—one of the most common types of dementia and the most common neurodegenerative disorder in elderly people. Aβ is the main determinant of neuronal loss and synaptic disruption in the development of dementia [9]
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