title: Natural lecithin promotes neural network complexity and activity.
abstract: Phospholipids in the brain cell membranes contain different polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are critical to nervous system function and structure. In particular, brain function critically depends on the uptake of the so-called "essential" fatty acids such as omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) PUFAs that cannot be readily synthesized by the human body. We extracted natural lecithin rich in various PUFAs from a marine source and transformed it into nanoliposomes. These nanoliposomes increased neurite outgrowth, network complexity and neural activity of cortical rat neurons in vitro. We also observed an upregulation of synapsin I (SYN1), which supports the positive role of lecithin in synaptogenesis, synaptic development and maturation. These findings suggest that lecithin nanoliposomes enhance neuronal development, which may have an impact on devising new lecithin delivery strategies for therapeutic applications.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.|Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Shahrzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Latifi
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.|Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamayol
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Rouhollah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Habibey
authors.affiliation: Robotics and Perception Group, Artificial Intelligence Lab, University of Zurich, Andreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sabzevari
authors.affiliation: IFSTTAR, LBA, F-13015, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Cyril
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Imaging Center for Psychiatry and Neurosciences, INSERM U894, Paris, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Geny
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Medicine Program, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
authors.forename: Eftekhar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eftekharpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.
authors.forename: Nasim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Annabi
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blau
authors.affiliation: Université de Lorraine, Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Biomolécules, 2, Avenue de la Forêt de Haye, F-54504 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linder
authors.affiliation: Université de Lorraine, Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Biomolécules, 2, Avenue de la Forêt de Haye, F-54504 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Elmira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arab-Tehrany
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054709:Lecithins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008081:Liposomes; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D016704:Synapsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D054709:Lecithins; D008081:Liposomes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016704:Synapsins