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Review
. 2020 Feb 28;12(3):647.
doi: 10.3390/nu12030647.

n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Derivates Reduce Neuroinflammation during Aging

Corinne Joffre  1 , Anne-Laure Dinel  2 , Mathilde Chataigner  1   3 , Véronique Pallet  1 , Sophie Layé  1
Affiliations
Review

n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Derivates Reduce Neuroinflammation during Aging

Corinne Joffre et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

: Aging is associated to cognitive decline, which can lead to loss of life quality, personal suffering, and ultimately neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is one of the mechanisms explaining the loss of cognitive functions. Indeed, aging is associated to the activation of inflammatory signaling pathways, which can be targeted by specific nutrients with anti-inflammatory effects. Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are particularly attractive as they are present in the brain, possess immunomodulatory properties, and are precursors of lipid derivates named specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM). SPMs are crucially involved in the resolution of inflammation that is modified during aging, resulting in chronic inflammation. In this review, we first examine the effect of aging on neuroinflammation and then evaluate the potential beneficial effect of n-3 PUFA as precursors of bioactive derivates, particularly during aging, on the resolution of inflammation. Lastly, we highlight evidence supporting a role of n-3 PUFA during aging.

Keywords: Key-words: aging; cognitive decline; n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; neuroinflammation; resolution of inflammation; specialized pro-resolving mediators.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Specialized Pro-resolving Mediator (SPM) synthesis pathway and receptors. EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; LOX, lipoxygenase; COX, cyclooxygenase; ALX/Fpr2, lipoxin A4 receptor/formyl peptide receptor 2; GPR32, G protein coupling receptor 32; BLT1, leukotriene B4 receptor; HDHA, monohydroxy DHA; CYP450, cytochrome P450 monoxygenases.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of aging on lipid metabolism. ALA, alpha-linolenic acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid; SPM, specialized pro-resolving mediator.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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