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Abstract
Brain is a lipid-rich tissue, and fatty acids (FAs) play a crucial role in brain function, including neuronal cell growth and development. This study used GC-MS to survey all detectable FAs in the human parietal cortex (Brodmann area 7). These FAs were accurately quantified in 27 cognitively normal age-matched controls, 16 cases of moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 30 severe AD, and 14 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). A total of 24 FA species were identified. Multiple comparison procedures, using stepdown permutation tests, noted higher levels of 13 FAs but the majority of changes were in moderate AD and DLB, rather than severe AD. Subjects with moderate AD and DLB pathology exhibited significantly higher levels of a number of FAs (13 FAs and 12 FAs, respectively). These included nervonic, lignoceric, cis-13,16-docosadienoic, arachidonic, cis-11,14,17-eicosatrienoic, erucic, behenic, α-linolenic, stearic, oleic, cis-10-heptanoic, and palmitic acids. The similarities between moderate AD and DLB were quite striking—arachidic acid was the only FA which was higher in moderate AD than control, and was not similarly affected in DLB. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between moderate AD and DLB. The associations between each FA and a number of variables, including diagnosis, age, gender, Aβ plaque load, tau load, and frontal tissue pH, were also investigated. To conclude, the development of AD or DLB pathology affects brain FA composition but, intriguingly, moderate AD neuropathology impacts this to a much greater extent. Post-mortem delay is a potential confounding factor, but the findings here suggest that there could be a more dynamic metabolic response in the earlier stages of the disease pathology.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and deteriorating cognitive abilities in older populations
Initial survey of the fatty acids (FAs) composition of human post-mortem parietal cortex identified 24 quantifiable individual fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) peaks that were consistently present in all subject groups
FAME peak identities were assigned by mass spectrometry and subsequently confirmed using
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and deteriorating cognitive abilities in older populations. Profiling of the lipidome has revealed alterations in (i) lipid metabolism [4,6,7]; (ii) lipid-mediated signaling processes [4,8,9]; and (iii) biochemical interactions with other lipids, proteins, and metabolites [10,11]. These techniques could lead to new discoveries in terms of disease pathogenesis and pharmacological targets [12,13]. These FAs appear to be incorporated into membrane phospholipids and secondary signaling messengers, which modulate oxidative stress and inflammatory processes in neurons [15]
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