Incorporation of very-long-chain fatty acids into sphingolipids of cultured neural cells

Cognitive improvement effect of nervonic acid and essential fatty acids on rats ingesting Acer truncatum Bunge seed oil revealed by lipidomics approach

Acer truncatum Bunge seed oil (ASO) is rich in ω-9 (53.93%) and ω-6 (30.7%) fatty acids (FAs) and characterized by 3-7% nervonic acid (NA, C24:1ω-9). Evidence suggests that ω-9 FAs such as NA participate in processes of cognitive improvement; however, their mechanism remains ambiguous. In this study, we investigated the effect of ASO on rat memory and the change in lipid profiling and underlying metabolism. After ASO was administrated to rats for one, three and seven days, their capacity for learning and memory significantly increased via the MWM test. Lipid profiling showed alterations in a wide range of metabolic features after ASO was administrated to the rats, in which sphingolipids (SP) in the serum and glycerophospholipids (GP) in the brain were regulated significantly. The changes in the fatty acids in the serum and brain showed the synergetic effects of NA, EA, OA and DHA, where NA, EA and OA exhibited similar change trends. The enrichment analysis based on KEGG indicated that ASO supplementation evoked the pathways of neurotrophin signaling, glycerophospholipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism, which are related to memory and cognition improvement. Among the metabolites with different molecular forms, the biomarkers with C24:1ω-9 chains exhibited a positive correlation with others both in the serum SP and brain GP. These results suggest the synergistic effects of ω-9 FAs and that their conversion into each other may result in enhanced cognition in rats ingesting Acer truncatum Bunge seed oil.

Protective Effect of Nervonic Acid Against 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Oxidative Stress in PC-12 Cells

Increased oxidative stress in the human brain is observed in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and is considered to be a major cause of progression of these disease states. A very long-chain fatty acid, nervonic acid (NA), is the main fatty acid found in various sphingolipid species in the central nervous system. NA plays an important role in forming the plasma membrane's lipid bilayer and in maintaining normal myelin function. In this study, we examined the neuroprotective effect of NA against rat pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells stimulated by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), which served as a cell model of PD. PC-12 cells were pre-treated with different concentrations of NA for 48 h then subsequently co-treated with NA and 6-OHDA for 48 h to induce cellular oxidative stress. Cell viability was significantly increased by pre-treatment with a very low concentration of NA. The level of malondialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation, was significantly decreased in NA-treated cells. The expression levels of superoxide dismutases (Mn SOD and Cu/Zn SOD) and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCLC), responsible for the synthesis of glutathione, were significantly increased, indicating that pre-treatment with NA activated the cellular antioxidant defense system. These results suggest that NA may play a role as a neuroprotective mediator in the brain.

A review on neuropharmacological role of erucic acid: an omega-9 fatty acid from edible oils

Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) are characterised by loss of neurons in the brain and spinal cord. For the normal functioning of the brain, divers group of fatty acids in the form of glycerophospholipids, glycerol ether lipids, cerebrosides, sulfatides, and gangliosides are essential. They are present abundantly in the nervous system and are actively involved in both the development and maintenance of the nervous system. A dietary deficiency of essential fatty acid during development results in hypomyelination state which affects various neuronal functions. Several studies suggested that age remains the primary risk factor for almost all neurodegenerative disorders. The potential contribution of these fatty acids in the progression of neurodegenerative disorders is indispensable. Erucic acid an omega 9 fatty acid, which is obtained from edible oils has proven to cause myocardial lipidosis, heart lesions and hepatic steatosis in animals therefore, its content in edible oils is restricted to certain levels by regulatory agencies. However, erucic acid in the form of a mixture with oleic acid is often used as a dietary treatment for the management of adrenoleukodystrophy without any cardiotoxicity. Our literature search revealed that, erucic acid reported to enhance cognitive function, interact with peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs), inhibit elastase and thrombin. In this review first we have attempted to describe the relationship between fatty acids and neurodegeneration followed by a description on the pharmacology of erucic acid. The overall purpose of this review is to analyse toxic and beneficial neuropharmacological effects of erucic acid.

Free radical release in C6 glial cells enriched in hexacosanoic acid: implication for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy pathogenesis

Free radicals have been implicated in the etiopathology of some neurological and demyelinating diseases. To evaluate their involvement in the cerebral form of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (cerALD) disorder, characterised by very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) accumulation, we utilised an in vitro model using rat C6 glial cells, enriched in hexacosenoic acid (C26:0, HA). Modified cells were incubated in presence of oxidative stressors, such as bacterial endotoxin lipopolisaccharides (LPS) and human oxidised low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), and the production of proinflammatory cytokines, nitrite, nitrate and superoxide was determined in the supernatants. The results show that modified cells produce higher amounts of nitric oxide (NO) products and superoxide compared to native C6 cells, supporting the role of free radicals as important pathophysiological modulator of the neuroinflammatory response in ALD. This hypothesis suggests that the cerebral damage in ALD could be due to intracellular signalling activated by interaction of exogenous factors with the particular membrane fatty acid composition.