title: An omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet prevents skeletal muscle lesions in a hamster model of dystrophy.
abstract: Currently, despite well-known mutational causes, a universal treatment for neuromuscular disorders is still lacking, and current therapeutic efforts are mainly restricted to symptomatic treatments. In the present study, δ-sarcoglycan-null dystrophic hamsters were fed a diet enriched in flaxseed-derived ω3 α-linolenic fatty acid from weaning until death. α-linolenic fatty acid precluded the dystrophic degeneration of muscle morphology and function. In fact, in dystrophic animals fed flaxseed-derived α-linolenic fatty acid, the histological appearance of the muscular tissue was improved, the proliferation of interstitial cells was decreased, and the myogenic differentiation originated new myocytes to repair the injured muscle. In addition, muscle myofibers were larger and cell membrane integrity was preserved, as witnessed by the correct localization of α-, β-, and γ-sarcoglycans and α-dystroglycan. Furthermore, the cytoplasmic accumulation of both β-catenin and caveolin-3 was abolished in dystrophic hamster muscle fed α-linolenic fatty acid versus control animals fed standard diet, while α-myosin heavy chain was expressed at nearly physiological levels. These findings, obtained by dietary intervention only, introduce a novel concept that provides evidence that the modulation of the plasmalemma lipid profile could represent an efficacious strategy to ameliorate human muscular dystrophy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Cardiologia Molecolare e Cellulare, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier, 1, 00133 Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fiaccavento
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carotenuto
authors.forename: Alba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vecchini
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Binaglia
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capucci
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Maccari
authors.forename: Marilena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minieri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Nardo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006224:Cricetinae; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019597:Flax / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3