Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Possible Neuroprotective Mechanisms in the Model of Global Ischemia in Rats

• Main Authors: Maria Elizabeth Pereira Nobre, Alyne Oliveira Correia, Francisco Nilson Maciel Mendonça, Luiz Ricardo Araújo Uchoa, Jessica Tamara Nunes Vasconcelos, Carlos Ney Alencar de Araújo, Gerly Anne de Castro Brito, Rafaelly Maria Pinheiro Siqueira, Gilberto dos Santos Cerqueira, Kelly Rose Tavares Neves, Ricardo Mário Arida, Glauce Socorro de Barros Viana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2016-01-01
• Series: Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/6462120
• ISSN: 2090-0724; 2090-0732

Background. Omega-3 (ω3) administration was shown to protect against hypoxic-ischemic injury. The objectives were to study the neuroprotective effects of ω3, in a model of global ischemia. Methods. Male Wistar rats were subjected to carotid occlusion (30 min), followed by reperfusion. The groups were SO, untreated ischemic and ischemic treated rats with ω3 (5 and 10 mg/kg, 7 days). The SO and untreated ischemic animals were orally treated with 1% cremophor and, 1 h after the last administration, they were behaviorally tested and euthanized for neurochemical (DA, DOPAC, and NE determinations), histological (Fluoro jade staining), and immunohistochemical (TNF-alpha, COX-2 and iNOS) evaluations. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and Newman-Keuls as the post hoc test. Results. Ischemia increased the locomotor activity and rearing behavior that were partly reversed by ω3. Ischemia decreased striatal DA and DOPAC contents and increased NE contents, effects reversed by ω3. This drug protected hippocampal neuron degeneration, as observed by Fluoro-Jade staining, and the increased immunostainings for TNF-alpha, COX-2, and iNOS were partly or totally blocked by ω3. Conclusion. This study showed a neuroprotective effect of ω3, in great part due to its anti-inflammatory properties, stimulating translational studies focusing on its use in clinic for stroke managing.