The fatty acid (FA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22: 6n-3) is highly enriched in membrane phospholipids of the central nervous system and retina. Loss of DHA because of n-3 FA deficiency leads to suboptimal function in learning, memory, olfactory-based discrimination, spatial learning, and visual acuity. G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signal transduction is a common signaling motif in these neuronal pathways. Here we investigated the effect of n-3 FA deficiency on GPCR signaling in retinal rod outer segment (ROS) membranes isolated from rats raised on n-3-adequate or -deficient diets. ROS membranes of second generation n-3 FA-deficient rats had ∼80% less DHA than n-3-adequate rats. DHA was replaced by docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-6), an n-6 FA. This replacement correlated with desensitization of visual signaling in n-3 FA-deficient ROS, as evidenced by reduced rhodopsin activation, rhodopsin-transducin (G_t) coupling, cGMP phosphodiesterase activity, and slower formation of metarhodopsin II (MII) and the MII-G_t complex relative to n-3 FA-adequate ROS. ROS membranes from n-3 FA-deficient rats exhibited a higher degree of phospholipid acyl chain order relative to n-3 FA-adequate rats. These findings reported here provide an explanation for the reduced amplitude and delayed response of the electroretinogram a-wave observed in n-3 FA deficiency in rodents and nonhuman primates. Because members of the GPCR family are widespread in signaling pathways in the nervous system, the effect of reduced GPCR signaling due to the loss of membrane DHA may serve as an explanation for the suboptimal neural signaling observed in n-3 FA deficiency.

The effect of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [22:6 (n-3)] ethyl ester (EE) and egg-phosphatidylcholine (PC) on maze-learning ability in young and old mice was studied. Male Crj:CD-1 mice aged either 3 wk or 14 mo were fed a diet containing 2 g DHA-EE/100 g diet plus 3 g palm oil/100 g diet (DHA-EE Group), 5 g egg-PC/100 g diet (egg-PC Group), 1 g DHA-EE/100 g diet plus 2.5 g egg-PC/100 g diet plus 1.5 g palm oil/100 g diet (DHA-EE + egg-PC Group) or 5 g palm oil/100 g diet (Control Group) for 5 mo. Maze-learning ability was assessed 4 mo after the start of the experiment. The time required to reach the maze exit and the number of times that a mouse strayed into blind alleys in the maze were measured in three trials every 4 d. In trial 2 of young mice, performed on d 4 after the first trial, the DHA-EE group required less (P < 0.05) time to reach the maze exit and DHA-EE and egg-PC groups strayed (P < 0.05) into blind alleys fewer times than the control group. In trial 2 of old mice, the DHA-EE, egg-PC and DHA-EE + egg-PC groups needed less (P < 0.05) time to find the exit and spent a fewer (P < 0.05) number of times in blind alleys than did the control group. The DHA-EE, DHA-EE + egg-PC and egg-PC groups strayed into blind alleys fewer times than the control group in trial 3 of old mice (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that the intake of DHA-EE and the egg-PC diet effectively enhances maze-learning ability and brain functions in old mice.

Rat pups born to dams fed a diet with 3.1% of total fatty acids as α-linolenic acid (LNA) were fed, using an artificial rearing system, either an n-3-deficient (n-3-Def) or an n-3-adequate (n-3-Adq) diet. Both diets contained 17.1% linoleic acid, but the n-3-Adq diet also contained 3.1% LNA. The percentage of brain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) continuously decreased (71%) with time over the 29 days of the experiment, with concomitant increases in docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-6). In the retina, the percentage of DHA rose in the n-3-Adq group, with an apparent increased rate around the time of eye opening. However, there was a flat curve for the percentage of DHA in the n-3-Def group and a rising DPAn-6 with time. Liver DHA was highest at the time of birth in the n-3-Adq group but fell off somewhat over the course of 29 days. This decrease was more pronounced in the n-3-Def group, and the DPAn-6 rose considerably during the second half of the experiment.

The present study was conducted to determine whether provision of preformed dietary docosapentaenoic acid (DPAn-6) can replace DHA for normal long bone growth as assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for mineral content (BMC). A newly modified artificial rearing method was employed to generate n-3 fatty acid-deficient rats. Except the dam-reared (DR; 3·1 % α-linolenic acid) group, newborn pups were separated from their mothers at age 2 d and given artificial rat milk containing linoleic acid (LA), or LA supplemented with 1 % DHA (22 : 6n-3; DHA), 1 % DPAn-6 (DPA), or 1 % DHA plus 0·4 % DPAn-6 (DHA/DPA). The rats were later weaned onto similar pelleted diets. At adulthood, the rats were euthanised and bones (femur, tibia, and lumbar vertebrae) collected for tissue fatty acid analysis and bone mineral density (BMD) determination. The analyses showed that long bones such as femur and tibia in DPAn-6-treated rats contained higher DPAn-6 content and generally had the lowest BMC and BMD values. Hence, DPAn-6 did not replace DHA for normal bone growth and maximal BMC in femur, indicating an indispensible role of DHA in bone health. In conclusion, DHA accumulates in the osteoblast-rich and nerve-abundant periosteum of femur; DHA but not EPA appears to be a vital constituent of marrow and periosteum of healthy modelling bone; and both DHA and total n-3 PUFA strongly correlate to BMC.