Omega-3 Research
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FASEB J. 2007 Nov 21 [Epub ahead of print]
Beneficial effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on toxin-induced neuronal degeneration in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
Bousquet M, Saint-Pierre M, Julien C, Salem N Jr, Cicchetti F, Calon F.
*Centre de Recherche en Endocrinologie Molculaire et Oncologique, andCentre de Recherche en Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier de lUniversit Laval (CHUL), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec (CHUQ); Qubec, Canada;Facult de pharmacie, andDpartement de Mdecine, Universit Laval, Qubec, Canada; and Section of Nutritional Neuroscience, Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
In this study, we examined whether omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may exert neuroprotective action in Parkinson's disease, as previously shown in Alzheimer's disease. We exposed mice to either a control or a high n-3 PUFA diet from 2 to 12 months of age and then treated them with the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 140 mg/kg in 5 days). High n-3 PUFA dietary consumption completely prevented the MPTP-induced decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-labeled nigral cells (P<0.01 vs. MPTP mice on control diet), Nurr1 mRNA (P<0.01 vs. MPTP mice on control diet), and dopamine transporter mRNA levels (P<0.05 vs. MPTP mice on control diet) in the substantia nigra. Although n-3 PUFA dietary treatment had no effect on striatal dopaminergic terminals, the high n-3 PUFA diet protected against the MPTP-induced decrease in dopamine (P<0.05 vs. MPTP mice on control diet) and its metabolite dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (P<0.05 vs. MPTP mice on control diet) in the striatum. Taken together, these data suggest that a high n-3 PUFA dietary intake exerts neuroprotective actions in an animal model of Parkinsonism.-Bousquet, M., Saint-Pierre, M., Julien, C., Salem, N., Jr., Cicchetti, F., Calon, F. Beneficial effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on toxin-induced neuronal degeneration in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
