title: Erythrocyte DHA level as a biomarker of DHA status in specific brain regions of n-3 long-chain PUFA-supplemented aged rats.
abstract: n-3 Long-chain PUFA (n-3 LC-PUFA), particularly EPA and DHA, play a key role in the maintenance of brain functions such as learning and memory that are impaired during ageing. Ageing is also associated with changes in the DHA content of brain membranes that could contribute to memory impairment. Limited studies have investigated the effects of ageing and n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation on both blood and brain fatty acid compositions. Therefore, we assessed the relationship between fatty acid contents in plasma and erythrocyte membranes and those in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebral cortex during ageing, and after a 5-month period of EPA/DHA supplementation in rats. In the blood, ageing was associated with an increase in plasma DHA content, whereas the DHA content remained stable in erythrocyte membranes. In the brain, ageing was associated with a decrease in DHA content, which was both region-specific and phospholipid class-specific. In EPA/DHA-supplemented aged rats, DHA contents were increased both in the blood and brain compared with the control rats. The present results demonstrated that n-3 LC-PUFA level in the plasma was not an accurate biomarker of brain DHA status during ageing. Moreover, we highlighted a positive relationship between the DHA levels in erythrocyte phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and those in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in EPA/DHA-supplemented aged rats. Within the framework of preventive dietary supplementation to delay brain ageing, these results suggest the possibility of using erythrocyte PE DHA content as a reliable biomarker of DHA status in specific brain regions.
authors.affiliation: University of Bordeaux, Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrée,UMR 1286,33000Bordeaux,France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Létondor
authors.affiliation: ITERG, Institut des Corps Gras,33600Pessac,France.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Buaud
authors.affiliation: ITERG, Institut des Corps Gras,33600Pessac,France.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaysse
authors.affiliation: ITERG, Institut des Corps Gras,33600Pessac,France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: ITERG, Institut des Corps Gras,33600Pessac,France.
authors.forename: Coralie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herrouin
authors.affiliation: University of Bordeaux, Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrée,UMR 1286,33000Bordeaux,France.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Servat
authors.affiliation: University of Bordeaux, Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrée,UMR 1286,33000Bordeaux,France.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Layé
authors.affiliation: University of Bordeaux, Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrée,UMR 1286,33000Bordeaux,France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pallet
authors.affiliation: University of Bordeaux, Nutrition et Neurobiologie Intégrée,UMR 1286,33000Bordeaux,France.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alfos
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D010714:Phosphatidylethanolamines; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; C483858:phosphatidylethanolamine