Food and Behaviour Research

Donate Log In

Adult Mental Health: The Role of Nutrition - WATCH HERE

Novel function of vitamin E in regulation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) brain lysophospholipids discovered using lipidomics.

Choi J, Leonard SW, Kasper K, McDougall M, Stevens JF, Tanguay RL, Traber MG (2015) J Lipid Res.   doi: 10.1194/jlr.M058941 

Web URL: Please find the OPEN ACCESS research paper on PubMed here

Abstract:

We hypothesized that brains from vitamin E-deficient (E-) zebrafish (Danio rerio) would undergo increased lipid peroxidation because they contain highly polyunsaturated fatty acids, thus susceptible lipids could be identified.

Brains from zebrafish fed for 9 months defined diets without (E-) or with added vitamin E (E+, 500 mg RRR-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) were studied. Using an untargeted approach, 1-hexadecanoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHA-PC 38:6, PC 16:0/22:6) was the lipid that showed the most significant and greatest fold-differences between groups. DHA-PC concentrations were approximately 1/3 lower in E- (4.3 ± 0.6) compared with E+ brains (6.5 ± 0.9 mg/g, mean ± SEM, n=10/group, P=0.04).

Using lipidomics, 155 lipids in brain extracts were identified. Only four PL were different (P<0.05) between groups; they were lower in E- brains and contained DHA with DHA-PC 38:6 at the highest abundances. Moreover, hydroxy-DHA-PC 38:6 was increased in E- brains (P=0.0341) supporting the hypothesis of DHA peroxidation.

More striking was the depletion in E- brains of nearly 60% of 19 different lysoPL (combined P=0.0003), which are critical for membrane PL remodeling.

Thus, E- brains contained less DHA-PL, more hydroxy-DHA-PC and fewer lyso-PLs, suggesting that lipid peroxidation depletes membrane DHA-PC and homeostatic mechanisms to repair the damage result in lyso-PL depletion.

 

FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble essential nutrient whose antioxidant actions are known to help to protect fatty acids and other lipids in cell membranes.    

In this study, Vitamin E deficiency was shown to cause striking changes in brain lipid composition, including significant depletion of membrane phospholipids containing the key long-chain omega-3, DHA.

This finding - along with the numerous other changes observed in the brains of Vitamin-E deficient animals - is consistent with oxidative damage.

Please see the related news item here: