Profiles of Brain Phospholipids and Fatty Acids in Alzheimer’s Disease Brain

Abstract

Lipids are a major component of the brain. The lipid microenvironment of cell membranes has been shown to regulate both neurotransmitter and hormone receptors. Diffuse changes of cytoskeletal proteins, of membrane lipids, and of phospholipid metabolites in the grey and white matter of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain are believed to reflect membrane alterations related to neuronal cell degeneration. Recent evidence suggests that breakdown of phospholipids may be an important component of neurodegeneration in AD. However, the basic mechanisms of abnormalities in the synthesis of membrane lipids suggested to represent early events in the pathogenesis of AD remain to be elucidated. Determination of phospholipid and fatty acid composition in normal and diseased brain may contribute to a better understanding of the lipid metabolism in AD. Moreover, thiobarbi-turic acid-reactive substances (TBARS), a most reliable parameter indicating the extent of partition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to oxidative damage of membrane lipids was investigated.