China Medical University, School of Medicine & Graduate Institute of Neural and Cognitive Sciences , Taichung , Taiwan.
Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2013 Dec;22(12):1519-34. doi: 10.1517/13543784.2013.836487. Epub 2013 Oct 2.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) are not synthesized by the human body; they must be derived from dietary sources and they have been known to be involved with neurological, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, autoimmune and metabolic diseases, and cognitive disorder as well as mood disorders.
A number of epidemiological and preclinical studies have proven the potential benefit and critical role of omega-3 PUFA in the development and management of major depressive disorder (MDD). In addition, recently independent clinical trials and meta-analyses have also provided superidority of omega-3 PUFA over placebo as monotherapy or augmentation agent in the treatment of MDD. This article presents a brief overview of the evidence to date about the clinical application and biological mechanisms of omega-3 PUFA in the treatment of MDD.
Given the potential action mechanism, clinical benefits and currently available clinical trial data, omega-3 PUFAs may deserve greater attention and wider application for treatment of MDD. However, the practical utility of omega-3 PUFA as one of promising alternative agent for treatment of MDD still have many questions unresolved to be fully addressed in near future.
ω-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（ω-3PUFAs）不能由人体合成；它们必须从饮食中获取，并且已知与神经、心血管、脑血管、自身免疫和代谢疾病以及认知障碍以及情绪障碍有关。
许多流行病学和临床前研究已经证明了 ω-3PUFA 在重度抑郁症（MDD）的发展和管理中的潜在益处和关键作用。此外，最近的独立临床试验和荟萃分析也提供了 ω-3PUFA 作为单一疗法或增效剂治疗 MDD 的优越性超过安慰剂。本文简要概述了目前关于 ω-3PUFA 在治疗 MDD 中的临床应用和生物学机制的证据。
鉴于潜在的作用机制、临床益处和现有临床试验数据，ω-3PUFAs 可能值得更多关注和更广泛的应用，以治疗 MDD。然而，ω-3PUFA 作为治疗 MDD 的一种有前途的替代药物的实际效用仍有许多问题尚未解决，需要在不久的将来得到充分解决。
