Treatment with docosahexaenoic acid after hypoxia-ischemia improves forepaw placing in a rat model of perinatal hypoxia-ischemia.
OBJECTIVE
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a dietary fatty acid with neuroprotective properties. We hypothesized that DHA treatment after hypoxia-ischemia would improve function and reduce brain volume loss in a perinatal rat model.


METHODS
Seven-day-old Wistar rat pups from 7 litters (n = 84) underwent right carotid ligation, followed by 8% O(2) for 90 minutes. Fifteen minutes after hypoxia-ischemia, pups were divided into 3 treatment groups (intraperitoneal injections of DHA 1, 2.5, or 5 mg/kg) and 2 control groups (25% albumin or saline). At 14 days, rats underwent vibrissae-stimulated forepaw placing testing, and bilateral regional volumes were calculated for cortex, striatum, hippocampus, and hemisphere.


RESULTS
Posthypoxia-ischemia treatment with DHA acid significantly improved vibrissae forepaw placing (complete responses: 8.5 ± 2 treatment vs 7.4 ± 2 controls; normal = 10; P = .032, t test). Postinjury DHA treatment did not attenuate brain volume loss in any region.


CONCLUSIONS
Posthypoxia-ischemia DHA treatment significantly improves functional outcome.
Berman
Deborah R
DR
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Liu
YiQing
Y
Barks
John
J
Mozurkewich
Ellen
E
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005552:Forelimb / Q000294:innervation*; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014110:Touch; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation
D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids