AsianScientist (Nov. 7, 2016) – Fish oil could act via the glymphatic system to promote the clearance of amyloid-β peptides, a primary culprit in Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study from Macau. The work was published in The FASEB Journal.
The glymphatic system is a complex system of lymphatic vessels in the central nervous system responsible for clearing potentially harmful metabolic waste products. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) help maintain brain homeostasis, which may provide benefits in a number of neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and sleep impairment, among others.
In this study, scientists from the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau showed that transgenic fat-1 mice, which express high endogenous omega-3 PUFAs in the brain, had significantly greater clearance of the lymphatic system, including amyloid-β clearance from the brain.
This was found to be similar for wild-type mice that were supplemented with fish oil, which contains high concentrations of omega-3 PUFAs. The wild-type mice experienced improved function of the glymphatic system compared to control mice that were not given fish oil supplementation.
“These now-famous fatty acids have been the subject of major studies both in academia and industry. Just when we thought we had heard everything, here is something new, and it is provocative indeed,” said Dr. Thoru Pederson, editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal.
The article can be found at: Ren et al. (2016) Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Promote Amyloid-β Clearance from the Brain through Mediating the Function of the Glymphatic System.
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Source: FASEB; Photo: Shutterstock.
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