The Effect of α-linolenic acid on acute inflammation and neurological functional recovery of mice with traumatic brain injury / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA) on acute inflammation and neurological functional recovery of mice with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods The C57BL6/N mice were divided into high ALA dietary group (20 pregnant and 88 new-born mice) and low ALA dietary group (20 pregnant and 84 new-born mice) in this study. The contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the brain of the two groups were detected by gas chromatography. Mouse TBI model was established by control cortical impact method. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and cellular markers of the two groups were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay or Western Blotting at 0, 4, 24 and 96 h after TBI, respectively. The neurological functions were analyzed by the rotarod, beam walk test and fear conditioning experiment. Results The content of brain docosahexoenoic acid (DHA) was significantly higher in the high ALA dietary group than in the low ALA dietary group (15.48±1.20% vs 9.98±1.10%, P<0.05). The expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β , IL-6 and CCL12 were lower in high ALA groups than in low ALA group after TBI (P<0.05). The motor function recovery 24 h after TBI was faster in the high ALA dietary group than in the lower ALA diet group. The cognitive function 24 h after TBI was better in the high ALA dietary group than in the low ALA group. Conclusion Increasing DHA levels in the brain can reduce acute inflammation and improve neurological function recovery after TBI.