Abstract
Depression may be associated with impaired membrane PUFA composition, especially decreased n-3 PUFA. This assumption has not been tested at the level of brain tissue. Moreover, most studies were confounded by dietary variability. We examined the FA composition of selected brain areas in an animal model of depression, the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat, and compared the findings with those in controls fed identical diets. In all brain regions studied, the concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) was significantly higher in the FSL rats: in the hypothalamus by 21%, in the nucleus accumbens by 24%, in the prefrontal cortex by 31%, and in the striatum by 23%. No significant differences were observed for n-3 PUFA or for the saturated and monounsaturated FAs. Our results confirm the existence of altered brain PUFA composition in an animal model of depression. The finding of increased AA, an n-6 PUFA, rather than decreased n-3 PUFA, emphasizes the importance of both PUFA families in the pathophysiological processes underlying depression. The FSL rat is a useful tool for further elucidation of the FA disturbances in depression.
Highlights
Depression may be associated with impaired membrane PUFA composition, especially decreased n-3 PUFA
Analysis of the fatty acid classes in the study and control rats demonstrated a significantly higher concentration of n-6 PUFA in the brains of the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rats (Table 1). This difference was attributable mainly to the arachidonic acid (AA) concentrations, which were greatly increased in the FSL rats compared with the Sprague-Dawley controls in all brain regions examined (Fig. 1): in the hypothalamus by 21%, in the nucleus accumbens by 24%, in the prefrontal cortex by 31%, and in the striatum by 23%
No differences were observed for n-3 PUFA, mean docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were slightly and nonsignificantly lower in all brain regions of the FSL rats
Summary
Depression may be associated with impaired membrane PUFA composition, especially decreased n-3 PUFA. This assumption has not been tested at the level of brain tissue. We examined the FA composition of selected brain areas in an animal model of depression, the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat, and compared the findings with those in controls fed identical diets. In all brain regions studied, the concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) was significantly higher in the FSL rats: in the hypothalamus by 21%, in the nucleus accumbens by 24%, in the prefrontal cortex by 31%, and in the striatum by 23%. Increased arachidonic acid concentration in the brain of Flinders Sensitive Line rats, an animal model of depression.
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