Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2023 May;192:102569. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2023.102569. Epub 2023 Mar 22.
Recent studies suggest the effects of DHA supplementation on human memory may differ between females and males during infancy, adolescence, and early adulthood, but the underlying mechanisms are not clear. As a result, this study sought to examine the spatial memory and brain lipidomic profiles in female and male adolescent rats with or without a DHA-enriched diet that began perinatally with the supplementation of dams. Spatial learning and memory were examined in adolescent rats using the Morris Water Maze beginning at 6 weeks of age and animals were sacrificed at 7 weeks of age to permit isolation of brain tissue and blood samples. Behavioral testing showed that there was a significant diet x sex interaction for two key measures of spatial memory (distance to zone and time spent in the correct quadrant during the probe test), with female rats benefiting the most from DHA supplementation. Lipidomic analyses suggest levels of arachidonic acid (ARA) and n-6 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) containing phospholipid species were lower in the hippocampus of DHA supplemented compared with control animals, and principal component analyses revealed a potential dietary treatment effect for hippocampal PUFA. Females fed DHA had slightly more PE P-18:0_22:6 and maintained levels of PE 18:0_20:4 in the hippocampus in contrast with males fed DHA. Understanding how DHA supplementation during the perinatal and adolescent periods changes cognitive function in a sex-specific manner has important implications for determining the dietary requirements of DHA. This study adds to previous work highlighting the importance of DHA for spatial memory and provides evidence that further research needs to consider how DHA supplementation can cause sex-specific changes.
最近的研究表明，在婴儿期、青春期和成年早期，DHA 补充对女性和男性的人类记忆的影响可能不同，但潜在的机制尚不清楚。因此，本研究旨在检查雌性和雄性青春期大鼠的空间记忆和大脑脂质组谱，这些大鼠在围产期开始时通过母体补充富含 DHA 的饮食，是否存在空间记忆和大脑脂质组谱。使用 Morris 水迷宫从 6 周龄开始对青春期大鼠进行空间学习和记忆测试，动物在 7 周龄时被处死，以允许分离脑组织和血液样本。行为测试显示，空间记忆的两个关键指标（在探测测试中到达区域的距离和在正确象限花费的时间）存在饮食与性别之间的显著相互作用，雌性大鼠从 DHA 补充中获益最大。脂质组学分析表明，与对照组相比，DHA 补充组大鼠海马中的花生四烯酸（ARA）和 n-6 二十二碳五烯酸（DPA）含量磷脂种类较低，主成分分析显示了潜在的饮食对海马多不饱和脂肪酸的处理效应。与补充 DHA 的雄性大鼠相比，补充 DHA 的雌性大鼠的 PE P-18:0_22:6 略有增加，并且在海马中保持 PE 18:0_20:4 的水平。了解围产期和青春期期间 DHA 补充如何以性别特异性方式改变认知功能，对于确定 DHA 的饮食需求具有重要意义。本研究增加了先前强调 DHA 对空间记忆重要性的工作，并提供了证据表明，需要进一步研究如何补充 DHA 会导致性别特异性变化。
