Dietary n-6/n-3 Ratio Influences Brain Fatty Acid Composition in Adult Rats
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Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
2
Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2020, 12(6), 1847; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061847
Received: 22 May 2020
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Revised: 12 June 2020
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Accepted: 17 June 2020
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Published: 21 June 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake and Human Health)
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 n-6/n-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 (n-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (n-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.
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Keywords:
polyunsaturated fatty acids; linoleic acid; α-linolenic acid; diet; rat; brain
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MDPI and ACS Style
Horman, T.; Fernandes, M.F.; Tache, M.C.; Hucik, B.; Mutch, D.M.; Leri, F. Dietary n-6/n-3 Ratio Influences Brain Fatty Acid Composition in Adult Rats. Nutrients 2020, 12, 1847. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061847
AMA Style
Horman T, Fernandes MF, Tache MC, Hucik B, Mutch DM, Leri F. Dietary n-6/n-3 Ratio Influences Brain Fatty Acid Composition in Adult Rats. Nutrients. 2020; 12(6):1847. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061847
Chicago/Turabian StyleHorman, Thomas, Maria F. Fernandes, Maria C. Tache, Barbora Hucik, David M. Mutch, and Francesco Leri. 2020. "Dietary n-6/n-3 Ratio Influences Brain Fatty Acid Composition in Adult Rats" Nutrients 12, no. 6: 1847. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061847
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