Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids attenuate MSG-induced neurodegeneration by modulating tau pathology, neuroinflammation, and VDR expression in rats
Abstract
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced excitotoxicity is a major factor contributing to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Given the well-established roles of vitamin D (Vit D) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (N-3 PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in neuroprotection, the present study aimed at analyzing their possible neuroprotective efficacy against MSG-induced neurotoxicity in rats, concerning the behavioral performance, hippocampal histological integrity, and pathological protein accumulation, along with determination of the inflammatory marker levels and mRNA expression of vitamin D receptors (VDR) and other neurodegeneration-related genes. Fifty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly allocated to a control, an MSG, and three treatment groups that received MSG and either Vit D or N-3 PUFA supplements in combinations or alone for 4 weeks. At the end of the study, five behavioral tests were conducted to assess cognitive functions, motor activity, and anxiety-related behaviors, and hippocampal tissues were analyzed for tau pathology, neuroinflammation, expression of VDR, and neurodegeneration-related markers. The results demonstrated that supplementation with Vit D (1 mcg/kg) and N-3 PUFAs (300 mg/kg EPA + DHA) profoundly attenuated MSG-induced neurodegeneration. The combined therapy decreased neuronal damage caused by MSG by 87% and tau pathology by 83%. The combined treatment further suppressed pro-inflammatory…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Promising Sources of Plant-Derived Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Narrative Review
- Effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake in patients with chronic kidney disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
- Effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cognition: an updated systematic review of randomized clinical trials
- The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A narrative review
- Paucity of evidence for a relationship between long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review
- Omega-3 fatty acid nanocarriers: Characterization and potential applications
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.