Effects of dietary supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on hippocampal gene expression in streptozotocin induced diabetic C57Bl/6 mice

• Diabetes is associated with cognitive impairments and effective strategies including dietary modification.
• DHA supplementation has been shown to have multiple health benefits.
• Present study investigates gene expression in the hippocampal region of diabetic mice.
• DHA supplementation showed downregulation of genes Tnf-α, Il6, Mapkapk2 and ApoE.
• Our results also showed an increased expression of genes such as Igf-II and Sirt 1.
• DHA has potential health benefits and more research in this particular area is warranted.

A body of evidence has accumulated indicating diabetes is associated with cognitive impairments. Effective strategies are therefore needed that will delay or prevent the onset of these diabetes-related deficits. In this regard, dietary modification with the naturally occurring compound, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), holds significant promise as it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties. The hippocampus, a limbic structure involved in cognitive functions such as memory formation, is particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects related to diabetes, and we have previously shown that streptozotocin-induced diabetes alters hippocampal gene expression, including genes involved in synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. In the present study, we explored the effects of dietary supplementation with DHA on hippocampal gene expression in C57Bl/6 diabetic mice. Diabetes was established using streptozotocin (STZ) and once stable, the dietary intervention group received AIN93G diet supplemented with DHA (50 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks. Microarray based genome-wide expression analysis was carried out on the hippocampus of DHA supplemented diabetic mice and confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Genome-wide analysis identified 353 differentially expressed genes compared to non-supplemented diabetic mice. For example, six weeks of dietary DHA supplementation resulted in increased hippocampal expression of Igf II and Sirt1 and decreased expression of Tnf-α, Il6, Mapkapk2 and ApoE, compared to non-supplemented diabetic mice. Overall, DHA supplementation appears to alter hippocampal gene expression in a way that is consistent with it being neuroprotective in the context of the metabolic and inflammatory insults associated with diabetes.