Abstract
Fatty acids are of paramount importance to all cells, since they provide energy, function as signaling molecules, and sustain structural integrity of cellular membranes. In the nervous system, where fatty acids are found in huge amounts, they participate in its development and maintenance throughout life. Growing evidence strongly indicates that fatty acids in their own right are also implicated in pathological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases, mental disorders, stroke, and trauma. In this review, we focus on recent studies that demonstrate the relationships between fatty acids and function and dysfunction of the nervous system. Fatty acids stimulate gene expression and neuronal activity, boost synaptogenesis and neurogenesis, and prevent neuroinflammation and apoptosis. By doing so, they promote brain development, ameliorate cognitive functions, serve as anti-depressants and anti-convulsants, bestow protection against traumatic insults, and enhance repairing processes. On the other hand, unbalance between different fatty acid families or excess of some of them generate deleterious side effects, which limit the translatability of successful results in experimental settings into effective therapeutic strategies for humans. Despite these constraints, there exists realistic evidence to consider that nutritional therapies based on fatty acids can be of benefit to several currently incurable nervous system diseases.
Highlights
Fatty acids represent a class of lipids that are crucial components of all mammalian cells
We focus on recent studies that demonstrate the relationships between fatty acids and function and dysfunction of the nervous system
There are four fatty acid desaturases documented in humans that selectively catalyze the introduction of a double bond in different positions of the carbon chain. -9 desaturase, known as stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), is charged with synthesizing Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), mainly palmitoleic acid (16:1) and oleic acid (18:1), by introducing a double bond between carbon atoms nine and 10 from the carboxylic
Summary
Fatty acids represent a class of lipids that are crucial components of all mammalian cells. The nervous system possesses a very high concentration of fatty acids, second only to adipose tissue (Etschmaier et al, 2011) These fatty acids participate actively both in the development of the nervous system during embryonic and early postnatal life, and in its maintenance throughout adulthood and natural aging (Uauy and Dangour, 2006; Rombaldi Bernardi et al, 2012). Along with these actions, currently incurable pathological conditions of the nervous system, including neurodegenerative diseases, mental disorders, stroke, and trauma, involve deregulated contents of fatty acids. There are four fatty acid desaturases documented in humans that selectively catalyze the introduction of a double bond in different positions of the carbon chain. -9 desaturase, known as stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), is charged with synthesizing MUFAs, mainly palmitoleic acid (16:1) and oleic acid (18:1), by introducing a double bond between carbon atoms nine and 10 from the carboxylic
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