Polyunsaturated fatty acids are potent neuroprotectors

Results reported in this work suggest a potential therapeutic of polyunsaturated acids for cerebral pathologies as previousy proposed by others for cardiac disease. We show that polyunsaturated fatty acid linolenic acid prevents neuronal death in an animal model of transient global ischemia even when administered after the insult. Linolenic acid also protects animals with kainate against seizures and hippocampal lesions. The same effects have been observed in an in vitro model of seizure-like activity using glutamateric neurons and they have been shown to be associated with blockade of glutameric transmission by low concentrations of distinct polyunsaturated fatty acids. Our data suggest that the opening of K+ channels, like TREK-1 and TRAAK which are activated by arachidonic acid and other polyunsaturated acids such as docosahexaenoic acid and linolenic acid, is a significant factor in this neuroprotective effect. These channels are abundant in the brain where they are located both pre- and post-synaptically, and are insensitive to saturated fatty acid, which offer no neuroprotection. Author's Abstract.