Maternal supply of both arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids is required for optimal neurodevelopment
Basak S, Mallick R, Banerjee A, Pathak S, Duttaroy AK. (2021) Nutrients 13(6) 2061. doi: 10.3390/nu13062061.
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Abstract:
During the last trimester of gestation and for the first 18 months after birth, both docosahexaenoic acid,22:6n-3 (DHA) and arachidonic acid,20:4n-6 (ARA) are preferentially deposited within the cerebral cortex at a rapid rate. Although the structural and functional roles of DHA in brain development are well investigated, similar roles of ARA are not well documented.The mode of action of these two fatty acids and their derivatives at different structural-functional roles and their levels in the gene expression and signaling pathways of the brain have been continuously emanating. In addition to DHA, the importance of ARA has been much discussed in recent years for fetal and postnatal brain development and the maternal supply of ARA and DHA.
These fatty acids are also involved in various brain developmental processes; however, their mechanistic cross talks are not clearly known yet.
This review describes the importance of ARA, in addition to DHA, in supporting the optimal brain development and growth and functional roles in the brain.
FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:
Good maternal nutrition is essential for healthy brain development, and substantial research has shown the critical importance of adequate supplies of the omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) found in fish and seafood - EPA and DHA - in pregnancy and early life for normal visual and neurological development.The importance of arachidonic acid, the main omega-6 LC-PUFA, has received far less attention, as this open-access review explains.
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