Centro di Medicina dell'Invecchiamento, Dipartimento di Scienze Gerontologiche, Geriatriche e Fisiatriche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
Curr Pharm Des. 2009;15(36):4165-72. doi: 10.2174/138161209789909683.
Brain lipids contain a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are a main component of cell membranes. Omega-3 (omega-3) PUFA eicosapentaeoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the most common PUFA in the brain. The physiological roles of omega-3 PUFA in the brain include regulation of cell membrane fluidity, dopaminergic and serotoninergic transmission, membrane-bound enzymes and cellular signal transduction. They are also thought to play a role in brain glucose metabolism, eicosanoid synthesis, gene expression, cell growth and protection from apoptosis. Increasing evidence from animal and human research shows omega-3 PUFA depletion may play an etiological role in several inflammatory, autoimmune and neuropsychiatric disorders. In particular, an association between omega-3 PUFA and depression was repeatedly suggested in observational and experimental studies on populations affected by major depression, depressed mood or post-partum depression. Consistently, the potential therapeutic role of omega-3 PUFA dietary supplementation was tested in clinical trials on depression. The current review identifies and evaluates available epidemiological evidence of a negative relationship between omega-3 PUFA and depression and examines its biological plausibility. Although current evidence increasingly supports an inverse association between omega-3 PUFA and depression, the validity of findings from observational and experimental research is limited by several methodological issues. Further studies with larger sample sizes and more sophisticated design are required to provide convincing evidence of a causal relationship between omega-3 PUFA and depression.
大脑脂质含有很高比例的多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA），是细胞膜的主要成分之一。ω-3（ω-3）PUFA 二十碳五烯酸（EPA）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）是大脑中最常见的 PUFA。ω-3 PUFA 在大脑中的生理作用包括调节细胞膜流动性、多巴胺能和 5-羟色胺能递质传递、膜结合酶和细胞信号转导。它们还被认为在大脑葡萄糖代谢、类二十烷酸合成、基因表达、细胞生长和细胞凋亡保护中发挥作用。越来越多的动物和人类研究证据表明，ω-3 PUFA 耗竭可能在几种炎症、自身免疫和神经精神疾病中起病因作用。特别是，在受重度抑郁症、抑郁情绪或产后抑郁症影响的人群的观察性和实验研究中，反复提示ω-3 PUFA 与抑郁症之间存在关联。同样，ω-3 PUFA 饮食补充的潜在治疗作用在抑郁症的临床试验中得到了检验。本综述确定并评估了现有的流行病学证据，表明 ω-3 PUFA 与抑郁症之间存在负相关关系，并探讨了其生物学合理性。尽管目前的证据越来越支持 ω-3 PUFA 与抑郁症之间存在反比关系，但观察性和实验研究的发现的有效性受到几个方法学问题的限制。需要进一步开展具有更大样本量和更复杂设计的研究，以提供 ω-3 PUFA 与抑郁症之间因果关系的令人信服的证据。
