• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.697-702
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• 2011

A strain of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira was isolated from Lake Chahannaoer in northern China and was characterized according to microscopic morphology, photosynthetic oxygen-evolving activity, growth rate, and nutritional profile. Compared with thermophilic Arthrospira species occurring naturally in tropical and subtropical lakes, this isolate is mesophilic and grows optimally at ${\sim}20^{\circ}C$. The total protein, fatty acid, phycocyanin, carotenoid, and chlorophyll a contents were 67.6, 6.1, 4.32, 0.29, and 0.76 grams per 100 grams of dry weight, respectively. The strain is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). An essential omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), was detected, and ${\gamma}$-linolenic acid (GLA) and DHA accounted for 28.3% of the total fatty acid content. These features of this newly isolated strain make it potentially useful in commercial mass culture in local areas or as a biofuel feedstock. It is also an alternative resource for studying the metabolic PUFA pathways and mechanisms of cold stress tolerance in cyanobacteria.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.917-922
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• 2009

The effect of adding docosahexaenoic acid into an n-3 fatty acid adequate diet on the improvement of learning related brain function was investigated. On the second day after conception, Sprague Dawley strain dams were subjected to a diet containing either n-3 fatty acid adequate (Adq, 3.4% linolenic acid) or n-3 fatty acid adequate+docosahexaenoic acid (Adq+DHA, 3.31%linolenic acid plus 9.65% DHA). After weaning, male pups were fed on the same diet of their respective dams until adulthood. Motor activity and Morris water maze tests were measured at 10 weeks. In the motor activity test, there were no statistically significant differences in moving time and moving distance between the Adq and Adq+DHA diet groups. The n-3 fatty acid adequate with DHA (Adq+DHA) group tended to show a shorter escape latency, swimming time and swimming distance compared to the n-3 fatty acid adequate group (Adq), but the differences were not statistically significant. There was no difference in resting time, but the Adq+DHA group showed a higher swimming speed compared to the Adq group. In memory retention trials, the numbers of crossing of the platform position (region A), in which the hidden platform was placed, were significantly greater than those of other regions for both Adq and Adq+DHA groups. Based on these results, adding DHA into the n-3 fatty acid adequate diet from gestation to adulthood tended to induce better spatial learning performance in Sprague Dawley rats as assessed by the Morris water maze test, although the difference was not significant.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.360-365
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• 2005

Membrane inositol glycerophospholipid (IGP) is metabolized to phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PIP), phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate ($PIP_2$), and inositol triphosphate ($IP_3$) in signaling transduction. This study was carried out to determine the subclasses of IGP involved in signaling pathway. The acyl chain moieties of the phospholipids are easily modulated by dietary fatty acids. We analyzed acyl chain composition of IGP 3-subclasses, PIP and $PIP_2$ from rat brain after feeding sunflower seed oil enriched with linoleic acid or fish oil high in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were not incorporated into ether-linked IGP (alkenylacylglycerophosphoinositol and alkylacyl-glycerophosphoinositol), PIP and $PIP_2$, while diacyl-glycerophosphoinositol (GPI) contained high LCPUFA. These results suggest that PIP might be phosphorylated from only the ether-linked IGP (alkenylacyl- and alkylacyl species) but not from diacyl subclass for signals to intracellular responses in the plasma membrane of rat brain.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.944-947
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• 1997

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) rich oil was obtained from blue fin tuna (Thunnus thynnus orientalis) orbital tissue with centrifugation of 12,000 rpm under vaccum $(10^{-1}\;Torr)\;at\;4^{\circ}C$. The effect of DHA rich oil (DHA content; $27.8\%$) on $CCl_4-induced$ acute injury was investigated biochemically and histopathologically. Dosage of DHA rich oil on 24h before $ CCl_4-administration$ prevented significantly the increase of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GTP) values. No necrosis of hepatocytes was observed in rat livers treated with DHA oil on 24h prior to $CCl_4-administration$. These results suggested that DHA oil controls the accumulation of fat in the liver and prevented the liver injury.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.187-192
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• 2008

To clerify the protective effect of omega-3 of polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the cytotoxicity induced by organic mercury in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. The measurement of cell viability on ogranic mercury wad done by XTT assay after NIH3T3 fibroblasts were cultured with various concentrations of methyl mercuric chloride (MMC). And also, the effect of DHA on the MMC-mediated cytotoxicity was examined by cell viability, and antioxidant effect of DHA was also assessed by superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity and the lipid peroxidation activity in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. In this study, MMC decreased cell viability and $XTT_{50}$ value was determined at $50{\mu}M$ of MMC in these culture. In the effect of DHA against the cytotoxicity induced by MMC, DHA significantly increased the cell viability damaged by MMC in cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts. And also, DHA showed the antioxidant effect by showing the increase of SOD-like activity and the decrease of lipid peroxidation activity. From these results, it is suggested that organic mercury such as MMC has highly toxic effect on cultured NIH3T3 fibroblasts, and also, omega-3 of polyunsaturated fatty acid, DHA showed the protection on MMC-induced cytotoxicity and antioxidant effect.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.788-792
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• 2005

The effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on maze-learning ability in aged mice was investigated. Aged mice fed a diet deficient in n-3 fatty acid received a semi-purified diet of 0.5, 1 and 2% DHA-ethyl ester (DHA-EE) for 4 months. Maze-learning ability was assessed at 3 months after the start of the experiment. The time required to reach the maze exit and the number of times that a mouse strayed into blind alleys in the maze were measured in 3 trials conducted at 4-day intervals. The time was significantly less in the DHA-EE 0.5% and DHA-EE 2% groups than in the control group (p<0.05). The number of times mice strayed into blind alleys in the maze was significantly lower in the DHA-EE 2% group than in the control group (p<0.05). Mice fed DHA showed increased DHA and decreased level of arachidonic acid (AA) in the brain. These results suggest that the intake of a 2% DHA diet improves learning ability in aged mice, which is associated with a higher DHA content in the brain.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1992

The needles and pollen of Pinus densiflora and Pinus koraiensis were studied for their lipid contents and fatty acid composition. The total lipid contents in needles of Pinus densiflora and Pinus koraiensis were 5.0 and 4.5%, whereas in pollen of Pinus densiflora and Pinus koraiensis 3.5 and 5.6%, respectively. Twenty-four fatty acids ranged from lauric acid to docosahexaenoic acid(22:6${\omega}$3) were identified in the needle lipids. In needles, linolenic acid and palmitic acid were the major fatty acids. The needles of Pinus densiflora showed higher proportions of docosahexaenoic acid and 5-olefinic nonmethylene-interrupted polyenoic acids than those in the Pinus koraiensis. Twenty fatty acids ranged from myristic acid to lignoceric acid were identified in the pollen lipids. Linoleic acid was the major fatty acid in the pollen followed by oleic and palmitic acid. The fatty acid profile of pollen of Pinus densiflora was similar to those of the Pinus koraiensis pollen lipids.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1400-1405
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• 2007

The effect of supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid into n-3 fatty acid deficient diet on improvement of loaming related brain function was investigated. On the second day after conception, Sprague Dawley strain dams were subjected to a diet containing either n-3 fatty acid deficient (Def) or n-3 fatty acid deficient + docosahexaenoic acid (Def+DHA). After weaning, male pups were fed on the same diet of their respective dams until adulthood. Motor activity and Morris water maze tests were measured at 10 weeks old. In motor activity test, there were no statistically significant differences in moving time and moving distance between the Def and Def+DHA diet groups. The n-3 fatty acid deficient with DHA (Def+DHA) group exhibited a shorter escape latency, swimming time and swimming distance (P<0.05) compared to the n-3 fatty acid deficient group (Def) but there was no difference in resting time and swimming speed between the experimental diet groups. In memory retention trial, the number of crossing of the platform position (region A) was significantly greater than those of other regions for the Def+DHA group. However, the Def group swam randomly without preference for the provisions platform location, indicating poorer memory retention. From those results, supplementation with DHA into the n-3 fatty acid deficient diet improved the spatial loaming ability in rats as assessed by Morris water maze test.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.1025-1029
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• 2003

The effect studied was that of the feeding of shrimp by-product meal, as a source of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid, on growth performance and fatty acid composition of adipose tissue in growing pigs kept on small holdings in Central Vietnam. Shrimp by-product meal was exchanged with ruminant meal so that the diets contained either 0, 10 or 20% shrimp byproduct meal in the dry matter. The diets were fed on 6 different small-holder farms. The farmers fed a base diet according to their personal choice, but were instructed as to the use of shrimp by-product and ruminant meal. The diets were fed to the pigs from 70 to 126 days of age. There were three animals per treatment group per farm. The diets without and with 20% shrimp by-product meal on average contained 0.01 and 0.14 g docosahexaenoic acid/MJ of metabolisable energy (ME). Due to the higher contents of ash and crude fiber, the shrimp by-product meal containing diets had lower energy densities than the control diets. Eicosapentaenoic acid was not detectable in adipose tissue; the content of docosahexaenoic acid was generally increased after consumption of shrimp by-product meal. In spite of the concurrent high intakes of ash and crude fiber, the feeding of shrimp by-product meal had a general stimulatory effect on growth performance of the growing pigs. The intake of docosahexaenoic acid or its content in adipose tissue was not related with average daily gain. It is suggested that shrimp by-product meal may contain an unknown growth enhancing factor.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 1999

The effects of dietary n-3 fatty acids, ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid (18:3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6), on brain phospholipid content and fatty acid composition were compared in rats fed with a diet containing constant ratios of saturated fatty acid/monounsaturated fatty acid/polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and n-3/n-6. The dietary fat in each diet was added at the level of 10%. In each diet, n-3 PUFA comprised two-thirds of the PUFA and the remaining one-third was linoleic acid (18:2). Dietary fat containing linoleic acid as the sole source of PUFA was also given to the control group. The content of brain phospholipid in the three n-3 PUFA groups was significantly lower than that of the linoleic acid group. This reduction was greater in the EPA and DHA groups than in the ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid group. The decrease in phospholipid content in rats fed n-3 fatty acid-rich diets was largely due to the decrease in the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction. Each dietary n-3 PUFA was found to affect the fatty acid composition of brain phospholipids; the most pronounced alteration was observed in phosphatidylethanolamine fraction. Furthermore, the proportion of DHA in the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction tended to be higher in the DHA group than in other PUFA groups. In conclusion, dietary ${\alpha}$-linolenic acid, EPA and DHA can influence the phospholipid content, phospholipid subclass, and fatty acid composition in rat brain.