Oméga 3 et dépression, lien avec l'inflammation

Anti-Inflammatory Drug Mimics Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Cai Song, Xiang Yang Zhang, and Mehar Manku

Omega-3 fatty acids (OFAs) are essential for normal cognitive function. OFA deficits have been linked to several neurological disorders including dementia, schizophrenia, and depression, and the OFA ethyl-eicosapentaenoate (EPA) has been used successfully to treat depression in humans. To gain insight into the molecular underpinnings of depression and how they are affected by EPA, Song et al. examined levels of inflammatory mediators and nerve growth factor (NGF) in olfactory bulbectomized rats, which show many of the behavioral, neural, and immunological changes observed in depressed humans. Bulbectomy increased phospholipase A2 and corticotrophin-releasing hormone expression in hypothalamus, increased interleukin-1β, prostaglandin E2, and corticosterone in blood, decreased expression of NGF in hippocampus, and slowed spatial learning. All these effects were prevented by treatment with EPA or an anti-inflammatory drug. The results support models of depression based on inflammation and reduced neurotrophic factor expression, and suggest that OFAs ameliorate depression by acting on these pathways.