Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the major polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the brain and a structural component of neuronal membranes. Changes in DHA content of neuronal membranes lead to functional changes in the activity of receptors and other proteins which might be associated with synaptic function. Accumulating evidence suggests the beneficial effects of dietary DHA supplementation on ne...

BACKGROUND As n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids exert a beneficial action on the cardiovascular system, it is important to investigate their effects on endothelial cell responses that (like migration) contribute to repairing vascular lesions. METHODS To this purpose, using functional and morphological in vitro assays, we have examined the effect of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on the migrati...

The incorporation of acetate-1 J4C into the polyunsaturated fatty acids of glycerophosphatides of chick embryonic brain has been studied. After the injection of acetate-l-14C into the yolk sac, differences were found in the degree of labeling of the major fatty acids of the w3 and w 6 series. Arachidonic acid (20:406) showed a high degree of radioactivity while docosahexaenoic acid (22 : 6w3) w...

A diet deficient in n-3 fatty acids dramatically reduces docosahexaenoic acid (4.8-fold) and 20:5n-3 content in murine total peroxisomal phospholipids, and conversely increases 22:5n-6 (17.1-fold) and also, to a lesser extent, 20:4n-6. This was also found in purified phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. After changing the non-deficient diet (containing alpha-linolenic acid, ALA) to...