Dietary n -6/ n -3 Ratio Influences Brain Fatty Acid Composition in Adult Rats

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 6; p. 1847
• Main Authors: Horman, Thomas, Fernandes, Maria F, Tache, Maria C, Hucik, Barbora, Mutch, David M, Leri, Francesco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 21-06-2020; MDPI
• Subjects: alpha-Linolenic Acid - metabolism; Animal cognition; Animals; Brain; Brain - metabolism; Brain Diseases - metabolism; Brain Mapping; Composition; Diet; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Fats - metabolism; Fatty acid composition; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Omega-6 - metabolism; Feeding Behavior; High fat diet; Hippocampus; Hypothalamus; Linoleic acid; Linoleic Acid - metabolism; Linolenic acid; Male; Mental depression; Mental health; Nutritional Status; polyunsaturated fatty acids; Prefrontal cortex; Psychopathology; rat; Ratios; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Trends; α-linolenic acid; Canada; United States > US; linoleic acid; diet; rat; brain; α-linolenic acid; polyunsaturated fatty acids
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12061847

There is mounting evidence that diets supplemented with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can impact brain biology and functions. This study investigated whether moderately high-fat diets differing in
-6/
-3 fatty acid ratio could impact fatty acid composition in regions of the brain linked to various psychopathologies. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats consumed isocaloric diets (35% kcal from fat) containing different ratios of linoleic acid (
-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (
-3) for 2 months. It was found that the profiles of PUFA in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus reflected the fatty acid composition of the diet. In addition, region-specific changes in saturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids were detected in the hypothalamus, but not in the hippocampus or prefrontal cortex. This study in adult rats demonstrates that fatty acid remodeling in the brain by diet can occur within months and provides additional evidence for the suggestion that diet could impact mental health.