DIETARY N-3 FATTY-ACIDS INHIBIT ISCHEMIC AND EXCITOTOXIC BRAIN-DAMAGEIN THE RAT

Arachidonic acid [20:4(N-6)] has been implicated in neurological damag e induced by cerebral ischaemia. Membrane arachidonate concentrations can be reduced by changes in dietary fat intake. Therefore, in the pre sent study, we have investigated the effects of N-3 fatty acid supplem entation on neuronal damage induced by permanent focal cerebral ischae mia or pharmacological activation of striatal NMDA receptors. Weanling rats were fed either a control diet or an N-3 supplemented diet (1.75 % by weight as N-3 fatty acids) for 6 weeks. N-3-supplemented animals reduced ischaemic damage following middle cerebral artery occlusion (3 6%, p < 0.05), and excitotoxic damage induced by infusion of the selec tive NMDA agonist (1-aminocyclobutane-cis-1,3-dicarboxylic acid, 43%, p < 0.001) compared to the control-fed group. These data are consisten t with the proposed role of arachidonic acid in ischaemic and excitoto xic brain damage, and suggest that modest dietary supplementation with N-3 fatty acids may offer benefit to populations at high risk of stro ke.