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Mechanisms of action of docosahexaenoic acid in the nervous system

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Lipids

Abtract

This review describes (from both the animal and human literature) the biological consequences of losses in nervous system docosahexaenoate (DHA). It then concentrates on biological mechanisms that may serve to explain changes in brain and retinal function. Brief consideration is given to actions of DHA as a nonesterified fatty acid and as a docosanoid or other bioactive molecule. The role of DHA-phospholipids in regulating G-protein signaling is presented in the context of studies with rhodopsin. It is clear that the visual pigment responds to the degree of unsaturation of the membrane lipids. At the cell biological level, DHA is shown to have a protective role in a cell culture model of apoptosis in relation to its effects in increasing cellular phosphatidylserine (PS); also, the loss of DHA leads to a loss in PS. Thus, through its effects on PS, DHA may play an important role in the regulation of cell signaling and in cell proliferation. Finally, progress has been made recently in nuclear magnetic responance studies to delineate differences in molecular structure and order in biomembranes due to subtle changes in the degree of phospholipid unsaturation.

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Abbreviations

AA:

arachidonic acid

DHA:

docosahexaenoic acid

DPAn-6:

docosapentaenoic acid

DROSS:

dipolar recoupling on-axis with scaling and shape preservation

HUFA:

highly unsaturated fatty acids

LCP:

long-chain polyunsaturates

α-LNA:

α-linolenate

LO:

lipoxygenase

M:

metarhodopsin

MAS:

magic angle spinning

NMR:

nuclear magnetic resonance

NOESY:

nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy

PC:

phosphatidylcholine

PDE:

phosphodiesterase

PE:

phosphatidylethanolamine

PS:

phosphatidylserine

ROS:

rod outer segment

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  1. Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 12420 Parklawn Dr., Room 150, 20852, Rockville, Marland

    Norman Salem Jr., Burton Litman, Hee-Yong Kim & Klaus Gawrisch

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  1. Norman Salem Jr.
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Salem, N., Litman, B., Kim, HY. et al. Mechanisms of action of docosahexaenoic acid in the nervous system. Lipids 36, 945–959 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11745-001-0805-6

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