Food & Function Blog

Scientists from Shimane, Japan, have investigated the effects of n-3 fatty acids on cognitive functions and learning ability impairments in an animal model of Alzheimer’s. These n-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as salmon and tuna, have recently been associated with reduced risk of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and can also lower the possibility of developing cardiovascular disease.

In this study, an animal model of Alzheimer’s was treated with TAK-085 (highly purified and concentrated n-3 fatty acids containing eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester and docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester) for 12 weeks. The rats behaviour and memory functions were assessed by their completion of an 8-arm radial maze task. The results showed that the memory errors performed during the task were significantly reduced during the treatment period, and suggests that TAK-085 can be used as a possible therapeutic agent for protecting against AD-induced learning deficiencies.

Read the full article for free by following the link below:

Protective effects of prescription n-3 fatty acids against impairment of spatial cognitive learning ability in amyloid b-infused rats, M. Hashimoto, R. Tozawa, M. Katakura, H. Shahdat, A. Md. Haque, Y. Tanabe, S. Gamoha and O. Shidoa, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo00002k

Researchers from Fisciano, Italy, have provided new insights into the mechanism of interaction between tau proteins and the extra-virgin olive oil component oleocanthal (OLC). Extra-virgin olive oil is the primary source of fat in the Mediterranean diet, and is widely associated with a variety of health benefits.  The olive oil phenolic compound OLC has attracted great interest due to the suggestion it could be involved in modulating diseases such as inflammation and Alzheimer’s.

Fibrillization of Tau protein is one of the leading causes of Alzheimer’s disease and OLC has been shown to halt this process. Understanding how this compound interacts with tau protein and prevents fibrillization could prove to be crucial in the fight against Alzheimer’s.

In this study, it was shown that OLC irreversibly modifies tau protein via covalent modification of the tau protein fibrillogenic fragment K18, thus preventing its fibrillization. This occurs through Schiff base formation between the 3-amino group on the lysine residues of tau protein and the carbonyl groups of OLC in a 1:1 stoichiometry.

To find out more read the article in full for free; follow the link below

New insights on the interaction mechanism between tau protein and oleocanthal, an extra-virgin olive-oil bioactive component

Maria Chiara Monti, Luigi Margarucci, Alessandra Tosco, Raffaele Riccio and Agostino Casapullo, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10064e

Scientists from New Jersey, America, have reported that modified 3-polylysine (M-EPL) can improve the water solubility of poorly-soluble bioactive compounds. The discovery suggests that M-EPL could potentially be used as a biopolymer to deliver poorly soluble drugs thereby improving their bioactivities.

At concentrations above the critical aggregation concentration, M-EPL forms a polymer micelle in aqueous solutions of size 2.4-2.6 nm, which upon further aggregation results in micelles of radius 26.8-30.8 nm as determined by synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). It was found that the M-EPL micelles were able to capture and solubilize compounds such as curcuminoids, which are ordinarily water-insoluble. This finding is of interest because curcuminoids (extracted from tumeric) have shown anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, but their use as drug candidates is hindered by their very poor solubility.

To find out more, read the article in full for free by following the link below:

Structure of modified 3-polylysine micelles and their application in improving cellular antioxidant activity of curcuminoids
H. Yu, J. Li, K. Shi and Q. Huang, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10053j

Researchers from Montreal, Canada, have investigated the link between iron deficiency and highly unsaturated fatty acids in the diet of Canadian Arctic Inuits. Impaired fatty acid synthesis has been noted in iron deficient animal models but data from humans is scarce. The typical diet of the Canadian Inuit consists primarily of red meat – an excellent source of heme iron and unsaturated n–3 fatty acids. However, recent reports have highlighted the prevalence of iron deficiency among the Inuit population – in fact these reports suggest that iron deficiency could affect up to 18% of Inuit children compared to 4.5% of American children. Although these statistics may seem counter-intuitive considering the iron and nutrient rich traditional red meat diet of the Inuit, recent trends in dietary behaviour amongst the population has seen a shift from the traditional nutrient rich diet to one containing more convenient “market foods”. This so-called “dietary transition” has resulted in concerns over inadequate iron intake – a concern which was virtually non-existent before. The high levels of iron deficiency in the Inuit population allowed investigation of the link between iron deficiency and fatty acid synthesis in humans.

The traditional Inuit diet is also rich in compounds called n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (or n-3 HUFA), which have previously been shown to be protective against cardiovascular disease. From the results found in this study, a correlation was observed between the activity of desaturase 5 (a crucial enzyme in the biosynthesis of n-3 HUFA) and serum ferritin (an indicator of iron status) in the Inuit population. Therefore, in a shift away from the traditional red meat Inuit diet, n-3 HUFA consumption and biosynthesis are both reduced and exacerbated by the decreased iron levels. This potentially suggests that the Inuit population may be more susceptible to obesity and cardiovascular disease, in particular ischemic heart disease.

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Is iron status associated with highly unsaturated fatty acid status among Canadian Arctic Inuit? Yuan E. Zhou, Stan Kubow and Grace M. Egeland, Food Funct., 2011, DOI: 10.1039/c1fo10051c