Understanding the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the physical properties of brain lipid membranes
María L. Longarzo,
Romina F. Vázquez,
María J. Bellini,
Ricardo A. Zamora,
Lorena Redondo-Morata,
Marina I. Giannotti,
Osvaldo N. Oliveira Jr,
María L. Fanani,
Sabina M. Maté
Affiliations
María L. Longarzo
Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), CCT- La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 60 y 120, (1900), La Plata, Argentina
Romina F. Vázquez
Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), CCT- La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 60 y 120, (1900), La Plata, Argentina
María J. Bellini
Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), CCT- La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 60 y 120, (1900), La Plata, Argentina
Ricardo A. Zamora
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I³), Vicerrectoría Académica, and Centro de Bioinformática, Simulación y Modelado (CBSM), Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca 3460000, Chile
Lorena Redondo-Morata
Université de Lille, CNRS, INSERM, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR9017, CIIL—Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
Marina I. Giannotti
Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER-BBN, ISCIII, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
Osvaldo N. Oliveira Jr
São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC-USP), University of São Paulo, 13566-590 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil
María L. Fanani
Centro de Investigaciones en Química Biológica de Córdoba (CIQUIBIC), CONICET, Cordoba, Argentina; Departamento de Química Biológica Raquel Caputto, Facultad de Cs. Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina
Sabina M. Maté
Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), CCT- La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, 60 y 120, (1900), La Plata, Argentina; Corresponding author
Summary: A deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids (ω3 FAs) in the brain has been correlated with cognitive impairment, learning deficiencies, and behavioral changes. In this study, we provided ω3 FAs as a supplement to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR+ ω3). Our focus was on examining the impact of dietary supplementation on the physicochemical properties of the brain-cell membranes. Significant increases in ω3 levels in the cerebral cortex of SHR+ ω3 were observed, leading to alterations in brain lipid membranes molecular packing, elasticity, and lipid miscibility, resulting in an augmented phase disparity. Results from synthetic lipid mixtures confirmed the disordering effect introduced by ω3 lipids, showing its consequences on the hydration levels of the monolayers and the organization of the membrane domains. These findings suggest that dietary ω3 FAs influence the organization of brain membranes, providing insight into a potential mechanism for the broad effects of dietary fat on brain health and disease.