Thirst deficits in aged rats are reversed by dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.
During heat waves many elderly individuals die as a consequence of dehydration. This is partially due to deficits in mechanisms controlling thirst. Reduced thirst following dipsogenic stimuli is well documented in aged humans and rodents. Low in vivo long-chain omega-3 fatty acid levels, as can occur in aging, have been shown to alter body fluid and sodium homeostasis. Therefore, the effect of dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on drinking responses in aged rats was examined. Omega-3 fatty acids reversed thirst deficits in aged rats following dehydration and hypertonic stimuli; angiotensin (ANG) II induced drinking was unaffected in aged rats. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) were altered with age, but not affected by diet. Aged omega-3 fatty acid deficient animals displayed increased hypothalamic cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, and prostaglandin E (PGE) synthase messenger (m)RNA expression, compared with animals that received omega-3 fatty acids. The aged low omega-3 fatty acid fed animals had significantly elevated hypothalamic PGE(2) compared with all other groups. Hypothalamic PGE(2) was negatively correlated with drinking induced by both dehydration and hypertonicity. The results indicate that PGE(2) may be the underlying mechanism of the reduced thirst observed in aging.
School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. denovan.begg@uc.edu
Denovan P
DP
Begg
Andrew J
AJ
Sinclair
Richard S
RS
Weisinger
D000367:Age Factors; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000097:blood; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003681:Dehydration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000032:analysis; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D054510:Phospholipases A2, Cytosolic / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000071876:Prostaglandin-E Synthases; D051381:Rats; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic / Q000494:pharmacology; D013894:Thirst / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D000804:Angiotensin II; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C489691:Ptgs2 protein, rat; D054510:Phospholipases A2, Cytosolic; D019746:Intramolecular Oxidoreductases; D000071876:Prostaglandin-E Synthases; D015232:Dinoprostone