Populations of Western countries are severely deficient in omega-3 intake, both in the form of
alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and the Long Chain derivatives (LC-n-3), Eicosa-Pentaenoic-
Acid and Docosa-Hexaenoic-
Acid. Omega-3 insufficiency is a risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebral diseases such as
coronary heart disease and
stroke.
Stroke is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, and induces a significant socioeconomic cost and a marked increase in patient/family burden. To date, preventive treatments and
neuroprotective drugs identified in preclinical studies failed in clinical trials, in part because of an inability to tolerate drugs at neuroprotective concentrations. Therefore testing alternative protective strategies, such as functional foods/nutraceuticals, are of considerable interest. We have previously demonstrated that a single injection of ALA reduced ischemic damage by limiting
glutamate-mediated neuronal death, whereas repeated
injections displayed additive protective benefits as a result of increased neurogenesis, synaptogenesis and
neurotrophin expression. Because
intravenous injections are not a suitable long-term strategy in humans, the present study investigated the effect of ALA supplementation by an experimental diet containing
rapeseed oil (RSO, a rich source of ALA) as the only source of
lipids for
stroke prevention. We tested several experimental diets which included 5, 10, and 20% RSO-enriched diet and feeding paradigms (fresh diet was provided once or twice a week for 4 or 6 weeks). Our results showed that ALA supplemented diets are more sensitive to lipid peroxidation than a regular chow diet. Because the diet affected feeding behavior and animal growth, we defined concrete guidelines to investigate the effect of omega-3 supplementation on neuropathology. Among the different sets of experiments, animals fed with 10% and 20% RSO-enriched diet displayed a reduced mortality rate,
infarct size and increased probability of spontaneous reperfusion in the post-ischemic period. In addition, a drastic reduction of lipid peroxidation levels was observed in the ischemic brain of RSO-fed animals. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the potential of employing
rapeseed oil as a functional food/nutraceutical aiding in
stroke prevention and protection.