The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7366 p304
10 September 2005

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Evidence for neuroprotection by fatty acid

US scientists report that they have found a possible mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of the essential fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Deficiency in DHA has been associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, but the reason why is not clearly understood.

Scientists have now discovered that administration of DHA to human neural cells decreases secretion of amyloid-ß, a peptide which is associated with the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. They also found that DHA stimulates the synthesis of a molecule called neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), which inhibits cell death usually triggered by amyloid-ß.

Levels of DHA and NPD1 were found to be lower in the hippocampus region of the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, a region involved in the neuropathology of the disease, but not in other regions of the same brains.

The scientists say that NPD1 appears to promote cell survival and that agonists of NPD1 biosynthesis or NPD1 analogues may prove to be a useful strategy to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions.

The paper will appear in the 1 October issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation and is available online