ACCELERATED MYELINOGENESIS BY DIETARY LIPIDS IN RAT-BRAIN

Our previous work showed an early development of behavioral reflexes i n rats whose mothers had been fed, during pregnancy and lactation, a l ipid fraction extracted from yeast grown on n-alkanes (which contain 5 0% odd-chain fatty acids) in comparison with controls fed a margarine diet. To clarify whether the observed changes might be linked to an ea rly myelination, we have investigated mRNAs involved in myelin synthes is in the brains of offspring at 5 days of age by northern blot and in situ hybridization. Northern blot analysis showed that proteolipid pr otein (PLP) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) mRNAs were h igher in animals on the lipid diet compared with controls. In situ hyb ridization with probes specific for PLP, myelin basic protein, and MOG mRNA showed significantly higher numbers of positive cells in test an imals compared with controls in all brain regions. This study shows an acceleration of myelinogenesis induced by dietary lipids. These data can give a new insight in the therapeutical approaches involved to pro mote repair in demyelinating diseases.