Olfactory bulbectomy as a putative model for Alzheimer’: The protective role of essential fatty acids

• OBX rats mimic many symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
• OBX rats were hyperactive, hyperthermic, and anorectic.
• OBX rats expressed increased homocysteine and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels.
• Pretreatment with omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids protected the rat from the damaging effects of OBX.

While the removal of the rat's olfactory bulb is considered a valid animal model of depression, recently studies found that those rats exhibited an increase in the hyperphosphorylation of brain Tau proteins and in the number of tangles. The present study investigated the possibility of using rat's olfactory bulbectomy as a putative model for Alzheimer's disease. Olfactory bulbectomy indeed mimics a complex of Alzheimer's symptoms. We evaluated the effect of pretreatment with a specific mixture of omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids: After olfactory bulbectomy, the rats were cognitive impaired, hyperactive, anorectic, and hyperthermic and expressed increased levels of homocysteine and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-17A. Pretreatment with a specific mixture of omega-3/omega-6 fatty acids blocked these adverse effects. We recommend using this model to scan potential new anti-Alzheimer's drugs and to investigate the role of fatty acids in Alzheimer's disease.

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