Abstract
During the last trimester of gestation and for the first 18 months after birth, both docosahexaenoic acid,22:6n-3 (DHA) and arachidonic acid,20:4n-6 (ARA) are preferentially deposited within the cerebral cortex at a rapid rate. Although the structural and functional roles of DHA in brain development are well investigated, similar roles of ARA are not well documented. The mode of action of these two fatty acids and their derivatives at different structural–functional roles and their levels in the gene expression and signaling pathways of the brain have been continuously emanating. In addition to DHA, the importance of ARA has been much discussed in recent years for fetal and postnatal brain development and the maternal supply of ARA and DHA. These fatty acids are also involved in various brain developmental processes; however, their mechanistic cross talks are not clearly known yet. This review describes the importance of ARA, in addition to DHA, in supporting the optimal brain development and growth and functional roles in the brain.
Highlights
This review describes the latest development of the interplay of DHA and ARA transfer and their impacts on brain development, their complementarity, the structure–function relationship, and their mechanisms of action in the brain
During the last trimester of pregnancy, fetal brain development demands a higher amount of DHA, which can be interrupted in the case of a preterm born baby and can result in mental growth retardation
It is not known whether higher ARA amounts in specific phospholipid classes in the brain favor ARA released by these phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and lead to higher free ARA levels in neuronal or glial cells
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. High levels in the are achieved during early and are maintained of throughout maternal DHA and ARA by the placenta to fetal circulation and its mechanisms are life. The essentiality of is well recognized in childhood and adult life, as its deficiency fatty acids during pregnancy protected infants against the detrimental effects of maternal causes stress [19].cognitive decline and other psychiatric disorders [20]. An additional neuroprotective mechanism may involve bioactive molecules derived from DHA and ARA, which are involved in several cellular neuronal biochemical processes These bioactive derivatives modify the functions of several genes in the brain by acting as ligands for transcription factors involved in critical brain functions, including signal transduction and synaptic plasticity. The evidence of the essentiality of ARA in brain development is summarized
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