Using omega 3 fatty acids to treat Alzheimer's and other diseases?
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a key essential Omega-3 fatty acid, produces signaling molecules called docosanoids in response to disruptions in the state of equilibrium within cells caused by injury or disease. Neuroprotectin D1 (NDP1) is a docosanoid that the Bazan lab discovered and found protects neurons by controlling which and how certain genes in the retina and brain respond. Research shows that the preclinical events in Alzheimer's disease including neuroinflammation, damage to dendritic spines -- small doorknob-shaped protrusions that help transmit electrical signals to the cell -- and problems with cell-to-cell communication coincide with decreased DHA content in the brain. The neuroprotective bioactivity of NPD1 includes inflammatory modulating properties as well as features that promote cell survival, both of which contribute to restoring a stable state of equilibrium, or homeostasis, within the cell. In experimental models of stroke, researchers at LSU Health New Or...