Docosahexaenoic acid facilitates cell maturation and beta adrenergic transmission in astrocytes

Anindita Joardar, Asish K. Sen, and Sumantra Das

Neurobiology Dept., Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata

Corresponding Author: sdas{at}iicb.res.in

The effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3), a major omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in the mammalian brain, on the structure and function of astrocytes were studied using primary cultures from rat cerebra. Gas liquid chromatography of methyl esters of fatty acids (FAs) isolated from cultures exposed to individual FAs, namely, stearic acid (SA), linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (AA) and DHA, showed alterations in the lipid profile of the membranes with a preferential incorporation of the FA to which the cells were exposed. Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that unlike treatment with other FAs, when the astrocytes remained as immature radial forms, DHA treated astrocytes showed distinct differentiation having morphology comparable to those grown in normal serum containing medium. Receptor binding studies to determine the concentration of various neurotransmitter receptors showed that DHA selectively increased the number of beta-adrenergic receptors $beta$ -ARs compared to FA untreated controls suggesting a greater role of DHA on $beta$ -AR expression on membranes. This was also reflected by an increase in downstream events of the $beta$ -AR pathways, viz. the induction of protein kinase A and glycogen turnover by isoproterenol (ISP), a $beta$ -AR agonist in DHA treated cells. Moreover, ISP completely transformed DHA treated cells into process bearing mature astrocytes as in cells grown under normal conditions. Taken together, our observations suggest that DHA plays a unique role in facilitating some of the vital functions of astrocytes in the developing brain.

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