Dietary n-3 fatty acid deficiency decreases nerve growth factor content in rat hippocampus.
Dietary deprivation of alpha-linolenic acid (n-3) through two generations has been shown to lower performance in an operant-type brightness-discrimination learning test in rats. Here, we examined a possible correlation between nerve growth factor (NGF) content and n-3 fatty acid status in the brain. Female rats were fed a semipurified diet supplemented with safflower oil (n-3 fatty acid-deficient) and their offsprings were fed a diet supplemented with either 3% safflower oil (Saf group) or a mixture of 2.4% safflower oil plus 0.6% ethyl eicosapentaenoate (Saf+EPA group) after weaning. The brain docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA) content in the Saf group was less than half of that in the Per group fed a diet supplemented with 3% perilla oil (n-3 fatty acid-sufficient) throughout the duration of the experiment. The DHA level of the Saf+EPA group was restored to the level of the Per group. However, the NGF contents in the hippocampus of the Saf and Saf+EPA groups were half that of the Per group. In the piriform cortex, the NGF content tended to be higher in the Saf and Saf+EPA groups than in the Per group. These results indicate that dietary n-3 fatty acid deficiency and restoration affect NGF levels differently among different brain regions.
Ikemoto
A
A
Department of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City University, 3-1 Tanabedori, Mizuhoku, Nagoya, Japan. aikemoto@phar.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Nitta
A
A
Furukawa
S
S
Ohishi
M
M
Nakamura
A
A
Fujii
Y
Y
Okuyama
H
H
D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential / Q000032:analysis / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005228:Fatty Acids, Essential; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor