Choline and Fish Oil Can Improve Memory of Mice through Increasing Brain DHA Level

Jin Li; Yaqiong Jian; Ruonan Liu; Xianfeng Zhao; Jiangyi Mao; Wei Wei; Chenyu Jiang; Lina Zhang; Yi Wang; Peng Zhou

doi:10.3390/foods12091799

Choline and Fish Oil Can Improve Memory of Mice through Increasing Brain DHA Level

Foods. 2023 Apr 26;12(9):1799. doi: 10.3390/foods12091799.

Authors

Jin Li^{1

2}, Yaqiong Jian², Ruonan Liu^{1

2}, Xianfeng Zhao³, Jiangyi Mao³, Wei Wei², Chenyu Jiang², Lina Zhang^{1

2}, Yi Wang³, Peng Zhou^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214126, China.
² School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214126, China.
³ Danone Open Science Research Center for Life-Transforming Nutrition, Shanghai 200135, China.

Abstract

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is highly enriched in the brain, and is essential for normal brain development and function. However, evidence suggests that currently used supplements, such as fish oil, do not significantly increase brain DHA levels. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether combined fish oil and choline supplementation could affect the type and enrich the content of DHA in the brain. The results revealed that the combined intake of fish oil and choline upregulated the expression of key transporters and receptors, including MFSD2A, FATP1, and FABP5, which increased the uptake of DHA in the brain. Additionally, this supplementation improved the synthesis and release of acetylcholine in the brain, which, in turn, enhanced the learning and memory abilities of mice. These findings suggest that the combined intake of fish oil and choline improves the bioavailability of DHA in the brain.

Keywords: blood–brain barrier; choline; docosahexaenoic acid; learning and memory; n-3 fatty acids.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.