TY - JOUR
T1 - Dietary alpha linolenic acid in pregnant mice and during weaning increases brain docosahexaenoic acid and improves recognition memory in the offspring
AU - Leikin-Frenkel, Alicia
AU - Liraz-Zaltsman, Sigal
AU - Hollander, Kenneth S.
AU - Atrakchi, Dana
AU - Ravid, Orly
AU - Rand, Daniel
AU - Kandel-Kfir, Michal
AU - Israelov, Hila
AU - Cohen, Hofit
AU - Kamari, Yehuda
AU - Shaish, Aviv
AU - Harats, Dror
AU - Schnaider-Beeri, Michal
AU - Cooper, Itzik
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for normal brain development and function. DHA is in danger of being significantly reduced in the human food supply, and the question of whether its metabolic precursor, the essential n-3 alpha linolenic acid (ALA) during pregnancy, can support fetal brain DHA levels for optimal neurodevelopment, is fundamental. Female mice were fed either ALA-enriched or Control diet during pregnancy and lactation. The direct effect of maternal dietary ALA on lipids was analyzed in liver, red blood cells, brain and brain vasculature, together with genes of fatty acid metabolism and transport in three-week-old offspring. The long-term effect of maternal dietary ALA on brain fatty acids and memory was studied in 19-week-old offspring. Three-week-old ALA offspring showed higher levels of n-3 fatty acids in liver, red blood cell, blood-brain barrier (BBB) vasculature and brain parenchyma, DHA enrichment in brain phospholipids and higher gene and protein expression of the DHA transporter, major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2a, compared to Controls. 19-week-old ALA offspring showed higher brain DHA levels and better memory performance than Controls. The increased brain DHA levels induced by maternal dietary ALA during pregnancy-lactation, together with the up-regulated levels of major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2a, may indicate a mode for greater DHA uptake with long-term impact on better memory in ALA offspring.
AB - Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for normal brain development and function. DHA is in danger of being significantly reduced in the human food supply, and the question of whether its metabolic precursor, the essential n-3 alpha linolenic acid (ALA) during pregnancy, can support fetal brain DHA levels for optimal neurodevelopment, is fundamental. Female mice were fed either ALA-enriched or Control diet during pregnancy and lactation. The direct effect of maternal dietary ALA on lipids was analyzed in liver, red blood cells, brain and brain vasculature, together with genes of fatty acid metabolism and transport in three-week-old offspring. The long-term effect of maternal dietary ALA on brain fatty acids and memory was studied in 19-week-old offspring. Three-week-old ALA offspring showed higher levels of n-3 fatty acids in liver, red blood cell, blood-brain barrier (BBB) vasculature and brain parenchyma, DHA enrichment in brain phospholipids and higher gene and protein expression of the DHA transporter, major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2a, compared to Controls. 19-week-old ALA offspring showed higher brain DHA levels and better memory performance than Controls. The increased brain DHA levels induced by maternal dietary ALA during pregnancy-lactation, together with the up-regulated levels of major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2a, may indicate a mode for greater DHA uptake with long-term impact on better memory in ALA offspring.
KW - Alpha linolenic acid
KW - Blood-brain barrier
KW - DHA
KW - Fatty acid
KW - Maternal diet
KW - Memory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101334373&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108597
DO - 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108597
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C2 - 33545323
AN - SCOPUS:85101334373
SN - 0955-2863
VL - 91
JO - Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
JF - Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
M1 - 108597
ER -