来自伦敦大学玛丽皇后学院(Queen Mary-University of London)的研究表明，在鱼油中发现的ω- 3脂肪酸具有保护神经损伤与助于损伤神经再生的潜能。当因为事故或伤害而损伤神经时，患者会经历让他们残疾的疼痛、虚弱与肌肉麻痹，且损伤恢复率低。
发表在期刊Journal of Neuroscience上的新研究表明，ω- 3脂肪酸在神经损伤恢复速度方面起重要作用。
此研究聚焦于外周神经细胞。外周神经是在大脑、脊髓与机体其他部分之间传递信号的神经。
这些神经具有再生能力，尽管外科技术很先进，但是病人通常只有在轻度损伤时才能恢复好。
ω- 3脂肪酸对于机体正常生长和发育极其重要，并因为他们健康方面的益处而被广泛研究。因为机体不能制造ω- 3脂肪酸，所以不得不从食物如含油多的鱼中摄取。
在此新研究中，研究人员首次观察了分离的老鼠神经细胞。他们模拟了由事故或伤害引起的损伤，要么通过拉伸细胞要么通过使其缺氧的方法。两种类型损伤都杀死了大量神经细胞，但是细胞内ω- 3脂肪酸的富集明显地保护了细胞，并减少细胞死亡。
接下来，研究人员研究了小鼠的坐骨神经。他们发现，高水平ω- 3脂肪酸有助于小鼠更快更完全地从从骨神经损伤中恢复，在神经损伤后更小可能地浪费肌肉。
研究由Adina Michael-Titus教授带领的研究团阴开展，Adina Michael-Titus是伦敦医学院和巴兹神经科学的教授，领导伦敦大学玛丽皇后学院创伤与神经科学中心的神经外伤与神经变性研究小组。
她解释说："我们的先前研究已表明，这些脂肪酸在许多神经学情况下具有益作用。这项新研究表明，它们在治疗外周神经损伤中也有作用。虽然我们的研究表明ω- 3脂肪酸能保护受损神经细胞，这是成功的神经复原中关键的第一步，还有更多的工作需要做。（生物谷bioon.com）
doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3371-11.2012
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Improved Outcome after Peripheral Nerve Injury in Mice with Increased Levels of Endogenous Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
Stacy J. Gladman, Wenlong Huang, Siew-Na Lim, Simon C. Dyall, Sophie Boddy, Jing X. Kang, Martin M. Knight, John V. Priestley, and Adina T. Michael-Titus
Abstract Functional recovery after a peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is often poor. There is a need for therapies that protect neurons against injury and enhance regeneration. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been shown to have therapeutic potential in a variety of neurological disorders, including acute traumatic injury. The objective of this study was to assess the neuroprotective and pro-regenerative potential of ω-3 PUFAs in PNI. We investigated this in mice that express the fat-1 gene encoding for ω-3 fatty acid desaturase, which leads to an increase in endogenous ω-3 PUFAs and a concomitant decrease in ω-6 PUFAs. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from wild-type or fat-1 mice were subjected to a mechanical strain or hypoxic injury, and cell death was assessed using ethidium homodimer-1 labeling. The fat-1 background appears to confer robust neuroprotection against both injuries. We then examined the early functional and morphological changes in wild-type and fat-1 mice after a sciatic nerve crush. An accelerated functional recovery 7 d after injury was seen in fat-1 mice when assessed using von Frey filaments and the sciatic nerve functional index. These observations were also mapped to changes in injury-related markers. The injury-induced expression of ATF-3 was decreased in the DRG of fat-1 mice, whereas the axons detected 6 mm distal to the crush were increased. Fat-1 animals also had some protection against muscle atrophy after injury. In conclusion, both in vitro and in vivo experiments support the idea that a higher endogenous ω-3 PUFA could lead to beneficial effects after a PNI.
