• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제20권2호
• /
• pp.152-157
• /
• 2012

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the major polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the brain and a structural component of neuronal membranes. Changes in DHA content of neuronal membranes lead to functional changes in the activity of receptors and other proteins which might be associated with synaptic function. Accumulating evidence suggests the beneficial effects of dietary DHA supplementation on neurotransmission. This article reviews the beneficial effects of DHA on the brain; uptake, incorporation and release of DHA at synapses, effects of DHA on synapses, effects of DHA on neurotransmitters, DHA metabolites, and changes in DHA with age. Further studies to better understand the metabolome of DHA could result in more effective use of this molecule for treatment of neurodegenerative or neuropsychiatric diseases.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제31권7호
• /
• pp.1100-1111
• /
• 1998

The incorporation of docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) and arachidonic acid(AA) into brain and liver lipid has been compared in male pups from binth to 10 weeks old by feeding DHA-rich experimental diets or chow diets to dams from pregnancy in rats. The experimental DHA-rich diets contained 7g fish oil and 3g corn oil per 100g diet. There were three experimental groups, FO-I : Dams were fed DHA-rich diet during pregnancy and lactation, and their it pups fed the same diet until 10 weeks old. FO-II Dams fed chow diet during pregnancy and DHA-diet during lactation, and their pups fed the same DHA-diet until 10 weeks. FO-III : Dams fed chow diet during gestation and lactation, and then the pups fed DHA-diet after weaning. The relative % of DHA in hepatic lipid was about 12% with chow diets, but increased rapidly to 20-25% level when DHA-rich diets were supplied after weaning. The AA(%) of FO-III group was relatively high when a chow diet containing higher amount of linoleic acid was given, but there was no significant difference between the groups after feeding on a DHA-rich diet. When the DHA-rich diet was supplied from pregnancy(FO-I), the relative % of DHA in brain lipid was 13.7% at birth and continuously increased to a maximum level(17.2%) at 3-weeks and then was sustained until 5 weeks old. Similar levels of DHA incorporation were observed when DHA-rich diet was supplied from lactation(FO-II). However, the pups of FO-III group showed significantly lower levels of DHA incorporation(72%) at birth. These livels slowly increased and reached an 87% level of FO-I at 10 weeks when the pups ate DHA-rich diets after weaning. The relative % of AA in brain lipid was 10.4% in the FO-I group at birth, which was significantly lower than those of other groups, but there was no significant difference between groups after feeding DHA-rich diets in all groups. The Ah(%) level increased to maximum(11-12%) at 3-weeks and then was slightly reduced and was sustained at about 10% after S-weeks. Total amounts of DNA in the whole brain rapidly reached maximum level at 3-weeks and then was sustained at a constant level after S-weeks. DNA content was not significantly different between groups at birth, but it was significantly higher in FO-I and FO-II groups than in FO-III group at 3-weeks. However, DNA content in FO-III group was continuously increased to 80% level of FO-I at 10-weeks after feeding DHA-rich diet since weaning. In conclusion, the DHA(%) in whole brain was most effectively deposited when DHA-rich diet had been supplied during pregnancy and lactation in rats. However, DHA supplementation after weaning also improved the incorporaton of DHA into brain and content of DNA even though brain development was almost completed, which suggests that DHA supplementation might be necessary to improve brain development in humans during infancy as well as pregnancy and lactation. (Korean J Nutrition 31(7) 1100-1111, 1998)

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제29권3호
• /
• pp.267-277
• /
• 1996

Effect of DHA-rich fish oil on brain development and learning ability has been studied in Sprague Dawley rats. Female rats were fed experimental diets containing either corn oil fish oil at 10%(w/w) level throughout the gestation and lactation. Corn oil was added in fish oil diet to supply essential fatty acid at 2.3% of the calories. All male pups were weaned to the same diets of dams at 21-days after birth. Plasma fatty acid composition was analyzed for dams and pups at 21-days, 28-days and 22-weeks after birth. The analysis of DNA and fatty acid profile in the brain were undertaken at birth, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 days and 22 weeks after birth and learning ability was tested at 18-20 weeks of age. Regardless of dietary fats, arachidonic acid(AA) and docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) were the principal polyunsaturated fatty acids in the brain. Rats fed CO diet showed a continouus increase of AA content in the brain from 10.9%(at birth) to maximum 15.3% level (14-days old), while the rars fed FO diet showed 78-79% of CO group throughout the period. Rats fed FO diet showed higher incorparation of DHA from 15.2% at birth to a maximum level of 18.5% at 140days, while the rats fed CO diet showed only 7.0% incorporation of DHA at birth and a maximum level of 11.1% at 21-days. Compared to CO group, FO group showed lower ratio of chol/PL and higher content of DHA in brain microsomal membrane, resulting in better membrane fluidity. Total amount of DNA per gram of brain was reached maximum level at 21 days in both groups. This would be a period of the cell proliferation during brain development. Overall, the rats fed fish oil diet showed a higher incorporation of DHA and membrane fluidity in the brain and better learning performances (p<0.05).

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제32권5호
• /
• pp.526-532
• /
• 1999

The aim of this study was to observe whether the dietary supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). In growing rats requires extra supplementation of arachidonic acid(AA) for brain development. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, each fed a different diet. In the FO group, dams were fed a DHA-rich FO diet during pregnancy and lactation and pups were fed the same diet until 10 weeks old. In the AO group dams and pups were similarly fed a FO diet after weaning. DHA and AA were most effetively deposited in the developing brain during pregnancy and lactation in rats. However, FO-W pups showed significantly lower level of DHA at 0-3 weeks compared with the FO and AO groups and than slowly increased DHA levels to about 87% of other groups at 10 weeks with the introduction of the FO diet after weaning. The total amount of DNA in whole brain rapidly reached a maximum level at 3 weeks and then was sustained at a constant level after 5 weeks of age. The DNA content was positively correlated with DHA level but not with AA level in the developing brain. DNA content was significantly lower in the FO-W group compared to the FO and AO group at 3 weeks of age. However, the DNA content of brain in FO-W pups increased to 80% of the FO group level at 10 weeks after feeding the FO diet after weaning. The relative percentage of AA in brain lipids was significantly reduced in the early stage of brain development when only DHA was supplemented. However, DHA supplementation had no significant effect on the incorporation of AA when the approximately 35% of LA in the FO diet was substituted by preformed AA. These results suggest that large quantities of DHA could interfere with the normal conversion of LA to AA if LA is not supplemented enough together with DHA. Therefore, high DHA supplementation may require preformed AA in the diet even though AA has no significant correlation with the DNA content in brain. DHA supplementation after weaning also improved the incorporation of DHA into brain and content of DNA even though brain development was almost completed, suggesting that a low level of DHA supplementation without AA addition might be necessary to improve brain development during infancy as well as during pregnancy and lactation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제25권7호
• /
• pp.555-568
• /
• 1992

This study was to compare the effects of dietary n-6 and n-3 fatty acids and fat unsaturation on plasma lipids and chemical composition of VLDL and LDL fraction and lipogenic enzymes activity in rat liver under the conditions providing 1) a similar amount of n-6, n-3 fatty acids(LA, ALA, EPA+DHA) in diets and 2) the various degree of fat unsaturation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 420g were treated for 6-n with six experimental diets providing 25% of energy as fat and which were different only in fatty acid composition. The fats used for a source of each fatty acid were beet tallow for saturated fatty acid corn oil for n-6 linoleic acid(LA) perilla oil for n-3 $\alpha$-linolenic acid(ALA) and fish oil n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and n-3 docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). Plasma cholesterol level was increased by corn oil to compare with beef tallow but was decreased by perilla oil or fish oil. Plasma TG level was significantly decreased by perilla oil or fish oil. Fish oil significantly reduced the level of HDL-Chol and the proportion of Chol in LDL fraction and that of TG in vVLDL fraction. Overall there was a singificant negative correlation between the level of each plasma lipid(Chol TG, VLDL-TG, LDL-C) and the degree of fat unsaturation. However this rerlationship is not always true when compared the hypolipidemic effect of each fatty acid at a similar level of fat unsaturation. There was a trend such taht glucose 6-P dehydrogenase 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme activites were reduced by n-3 fatty acids. Perilla oil significantly increased the incorporation of c20:5 and c22:5 into liver tissue and fish oil suignificantly increased the incorporation of c20:5, c22:6 into liver tissue and the effect of long chain n-3 fatty acid incorporation was greater by fish oil. therefore the hypotriglyceridemic effect of n-3 fatty acid could be resulted from the interference of hepatic lipogenesis by long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the reduced proportion of TG in VLDL fraction and its effect was greater by n-3 EPA+DHA than n-3 ALA even though plasma Chol and TG levels were also influenced by the degree of dietary fat unsaturation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제26권5호
• /
• pp.566-577
• /
• 1993

The study was to compare the effect of dietary fatty acids on fatty acid profile in tissue and the status of tocopherol and lipid peroxidation, and superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities at two fat levels. Male Sprague Dawley rats weighing average 350g(17 weeks) were fed either low fat(LF, 4.3% w/w, 10% kcal) or high fat(HF, 20.8%, w/w, 40% kcal)diet for 6 weeks. The fats used were beef tallow as a source of saturated fatty acid, corn oil for n-6 linoleic acid, perilla oil for n-3 $\alpha$-linolenic acid and fish oil for n-3 eiocosapentatenoic acid(EPA) and n-3 docosahexaenoic acid(DHA). Palsma tocopherol was significantly reduced by fish oil compared to beef tallow at body fat level. However, there was no significant effect on the levels of plasma MDA, RBC MDA and tocopherol, and RBC hempolysis by the type and amount of dietary fat. The peroxidizibility index of fatty acid profile in plasma and liver was increased and liver MDA level was significantly increased by fish oil when dietary fat level was increased. The activities of SOD and GSHPx tended to be increased by perilla oil and fish oil at both fat oil significantly reduced the incorpration of c20:4 and increased the incorporation of c20:5 into liver compared to corn oil. The incorporation of n-3 fatty acids into tissue by perilla oil rich in $\alpha$-linolenic acid was significantly higher tan corn oil and its effect was improved with higher amount of perilla oil in diet by high fat diet. Overall, the lipid peroxidation of tissue could be prevented by tocopherol supplementation when dietary fat level was low in diet. However, at high fat diet, tocopherol supplementation might not be enough to prevent the lipid peroxidation in tissue since the potential for lipid peroxidation was tended to be increased with higher incorporation of higher unsaturated n-3 fatty acids into tissue. Therefore, it could not be recommended to consume large amount of fish oil even with excess amount of tocopherol supplemented to the high fat diet.

• 한국양식학회지
• /
• 제17권2호
• /
• pp.151-157
• /
• 2004

Effects of supplementing selected fatty acids on fatty acid incorporation (17 days) , and progeny production (14 days) in Artemia franciscana (Great Salt Lake, USA) were studied. To compare with the control four diets, which differed in fatty acid composition alone contain Dunalieia tertiolecta and an emulsion either rich in OA (oleic acid, 18: 1 n-9), ARA (arachidonic acid, 20:4n-6), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid,20:5n-3), or DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, 22:6n-3). Each of these emulsions was supplemented at a ratio of 20 % of the daily dose of D. tertiolecta (% algal dry weight). The initial OA and ARA values were 33.5 and 1.7 mg/g DW of freshly-hatched nauplii, respectively. After 11 days of feeding, these values increased to 38.8 and 7.6 mg/g DW in Artemia receiving the fatty acid sup-plement rich in each of the respective fatty acids. After 14 days, the levels were almost doubled, reaching 62.8 and 13.4 mg/g respectively. On EPA supplementation, its level after 11 days of feeding was 14.3 and 17.3 mg/g in male and female, respectively and was 16.0 and 23.1 mg/g in the male and female after 14 days, respectively. The EPA accumulated more in the body (39.1 mg/g) than in ovisac (16.9 mg/g). In the DHA supplementation group also, DHA levels after 11 days of feeding were 3.1 and 5.5 mg/g in male and female, respectively. After 14 days, the DHA level continued to increase in male. but slightly decreased to 4.6 mg/g in female. It was not richer in ovisac (2.6 mg/g) than in the remaining body of female (4.6 mg/g). In conclusion, fatty acids supplied by a lipid emulsion as a supplement to the algal diet are well incorporated in the adult Artemia. Apart from being an extra source of energy, these emulsions may function as source of HUFA which may play an essential role for growth and progeny production (fecundity) of Artemia.