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PMID: 19022980 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Review

Docosahexaenoic acid and the aging brain.

The Journal of nutrition ·Vol. 138 ·No. 12 ·2008-12-00 ·Pages 2510-4

Lukiw WJ, Bazan NG

Abstract

The dietary essential PUFA docosahexaenoic acid [DHA; 22:6(n-3)] is a critical contributor to cell structure and function in the nervous system, and deficits in DHA abundance are associated with cognitive decline during aging and in neurodegenerative disease. Recent studies underscore the importance of DHA-derived neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1) in the homeostatic regulation of brain cell survival and repair involving neurotrophic, antiapoptotic and antiinflammatory signaling. Emerging evidence suggests that NPD1 synthesis is activated by growth factors and neurotrophins. Evolving research indicates that NPD1 has important determinant and regulatory interactions with the molecular-genetic mechanisms affecting beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP) and amyloid beta (Abeta) peptide neurobiology. Deficits in DHA or its peroxidation appear to contribute to inflammatory signaling, apoptosis, and neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer disease (AD), a common and progressive age-related neurological disorder unique to structures and processes of the human brain. This article briefly reviews our current understanding of the interactions of DHA and NPD1 on betaAPP processing and Abeta peptide signaling and how this contributes to oxidative and pathogenic processes characteristic of aging and AD pathology.

MeSH Terms
Aging/metabolism,pathology Alzheimer Disease/metabolism,pathology Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/metabolism Animals Brain/metabolism,pathology Diet Docosahexaenoic Acids/administration & dosage,metabolism Humans Models, Neurological Oxidation-Reduction Oxidative Stress Signal Transduction
Chemicals
Amyloid beta-Peptides Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor protectin D1 Docosahexaenoic Acids
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Lukiw Walter J
Department of Ophthalmology, LSU Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. wlukiw@lsuhsc.edu
Bazan Nicolas G
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Article Info
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Abbr.
J Nutr
ISSN
1541-6100
DOI
10.3945/jn.108.096016
Email
wlukiw@lsuhsc.edu
Published
2008-12-00
Pages
2510-4
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0404243
PMCID
PMC2666388
Subset
IM
Grants
NINDS NIH HHS · NS23002 · United States
NINDS NIH HHS · R01 NS046741-05 · United States
NEI NIH HHS · EY005121 · United States
NINDS NIH HHS · NS046741 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · AG18031 · United States
NINDS NIH HHS · R01 NS046741 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.3945/jn.108.096016 PMC Full Text View journal details
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