n-3 phosphatidylserine attenuated scopolamine-induced amnesia in middle-aged rats

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2009 Aug 31;33(6):952-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.04.021. Epub 2009 May 4.

Abstract

Phosphatidylserine (PS) extracted from bovine brain differs from transphosphatidylated soybean lecithin PS (SB-PS) in its n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) content. Both, however, were suggested to affect cognitive performance. We compared the effect of chronic administration of a novel n-3 LC-PUFA PS conjugates (n-3 PS) versus SB-PS, fish oil (FO), SB-PS+FO, or control oil in middle-aged rats, on brain fatty acids composition and performance in behavioral tasks. Our hypothesis was that the n-3 LC-PUFA vehicles will affect these outcomes better than the other diets. Brain phospholipid docosahexaenoic acid levels increased significantly (p=0.0434) with n-3 PS only. None of the treatments affected the animals' task performance in compare with the control, although reversal from the non-match-to-sample to match-to-sample rule in the T-maze differed (p=0.0434) between the experimental diets. Conversely, the acquisition of the Morris water maze task was impaired by scopolamine (SCO) in all but the n-3 PS group (p=0.0019). In the probe, when pretreated with SCO, the SB-PS+FO group and to a lesser degree the n-3 PS group, spent longer latency times (p=0.0390) in the non-peripheral zones of the water maze compared to the control; this may be interpreted as anxiolytic-like behavior. These results suggest that the n-3 LC-PUFA carrier may play a role in these fatty acids bioavailability and their impact on specific cognitive processes.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Amnesia / chemically induced*
  • Amnesia / metabolism
  • Amnesia / prevention & control*
  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / chemistry
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / pharmacology
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Maze Learning / drug effects
  • Maze Learning / physiology
  • Phosphatidylserines / chemistry
  • Phosphatidylserines / pharmacology
  • Phosphatidylserines / therapeutic use*
  • Plant Lectins / pharmacology
  • Plant Lectins / therapeutic use
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Scopolamine / toxicity*
  • Soybean Proteins / pharmacology
  • Soybean Proteins / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Phosphatidylserines
  • Plant Lectins
  • Soybean Proteins
  • soybean lectin
  • Scopolamine