Review Article

Significance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Prophylaxis and Treatment after Spinal Cord Injury in Rodent Models

Table 2

Summary of the biological effects of ω-3 fatty acids on cellular processes and clinical outcome after spinal cord injury in rodent models. Explanation of abbreviations in the text.

StudyBiological effects of ω-3 fatty acids in rodent models after SCI

Mortazavi et al. [10]↓ Concentrations of IL-6, KC/GRO/CINC
↓ Number of macrophages
↓ ECS production
Inhibition of glutamatergic pathways
Stabilization of cell membranes
↑ Local blood flow
↑ Number of neurons
↑ Number of oligodendrocytes

Borgens and Liu-Snyder [12]Inhibition of voltage-sensitive Na+ and Ca2+ channels
Activation of two-domain background K+ channels (TREK-1, TREK-2, and TRAAK channels)
Inhibition of the depolarization-induced increased activation of glutamate receptors
The activation of transcription pathways associated with the activation of retinoid X receptor (RXR)
↑ Neuroplasticity
↑ Concentrations of IL-10

Kawano et al. [13]↓ Spinal cord edema
↓ White matter cavitation
↓ Demyelination
↓ Vessel ingrowth

Yuan and He [14]↓ Concentrations of IL-6, IL-1ra, C-reactive protein, and TNF-α

Sun et al. [15]↑ Expression of cytoglobin and neuroglobin
↑ Concentration of lipids, glycogen, and oligosaccharides by neurons
↑ Expression of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1)
↑ Synthesis of phosphates
↑ Synthesis of synaptic proteins
↑ Acetylation of lysine, histone H3, and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 marker in human neuronal M17 cells
↑ Resistance of glial cells and neurons on the activity of glutamate toxicity, apoptosis, and calcium overload
↓ Expression of mRNA for bcx, p53, caspase-3, and pro-NGF
Activation of inactive neurons

Beck et al. [16]↓ Thermal hypersensitivity
↓ Synthesis of histamine, TNF-α, COX-2, and iNOS
↓ Expression of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase
↑ Expression of B/Akt (Akt) and CREB
↑ Synthesis and accumulation of the precursors of N-acylethanolamines (NAE): DHEA, DPEA, and EPEA

Belchior et al. [27]↑ Expression of microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 type II (LC3-II)
↓ Expression of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway
↓ Concentrations of p-S6 and p-S6K