The Effect of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Neuroinflammation in the Hippocampus

Abstract

We studied the effects of oral administration of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on behavioral characteristics and immunohistochemical, morphological, and biochemical parameters in hippocampi of mice with experimental neuroinflammation. We found that animals with neuroinflammation that were treated with ω-3 PUFAs had higher parameters of locomotor activity and working memory compared to the vehicle-treated group. The immunohistochemical analysis showed that activation of glial cells was less significant in ω-3 PUFA-treated animals than in vehicle-treated animals with neuroinflammation. An increase in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß and malonic dialdehyde, a marker of lipid peroxidation, in the hippocampus was less pronounced than in the vehicle-treated group. Thus, we assume that the normalization of locomotor activity and working memory after PUFA administration reduce microglial and astroglial activation, the intensity of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress and, as a consequence, prevent changes in the physicochemical characteristics of cellular and mitochondrial membranes.