Retinal docosahexaenoic acid

Sanders TAB, Mistry M, Naismith DJ. The influence of a maternal diet rich in linoleic acid on bran and retinal docosahexaenoic acid in the rat. Br J Nutr 1984 51 57-66. 

Anderson, R. E., Maude, M. B., Alvarez, R. A, Acland, G. and Aguirre, G. D. A hypothesis to explain the reduced blood levels of docosahexaenoic acid in inherited retinal degenerations caused by mutations in genes encoding retina-specific proteins. Lipids 34, S235-S237,1999. 

Mukherjee, P. K., Marcheselli, V. L., Serhan, C. N. and Bazan, N. G. Neuroprotectin Dl a docosahexaenoic acid-derived docosatriene protects human retinal pigment epithelial cells from oxidative stress. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101 8491-8496, 2004. 

Rojas C. V., Martinez J. I., Flores I., Hoffman D. R., and Uauy R. (2003). Gene expression analysis in human fetal retinal explants treated with docosahexaenoic acid. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 44 3170-3177. 

Hayasaka et al. [157] reported the determination of the fatty acid distribution in mouse retina by using AgNPs in nano-PALDI-IMS. The sections were sliced to a thickness of 10 pm and sprayed with AgNPs or DHB matrix solution at 50 mg/mL in 70 % methanol/0.1%TFA. The mouse retinal sections were analyzed at a high spatial resolution with a scan pitch of 10 pm. The MS images showed the distribution of palmitic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 

In the retinal pigment epithelium, palmitate is bound to the fatty acid binding site of the interphotoreceptor RBP, and the retinoid binding site has a high affinity for 11 -ds-retinaldehyde, which is to be transported to the photoreceptor cells. In the photoreceptor cells, the palmitate is displaced by docosahex-aenoic acid, which causes a conformational change in the protein, so that it no longer binds 11 -ds-retinaldehyde, which is delivered to the photoreceptor cells and binds all-fraws-retinol for transport back to the pigment epithelium. Here, the docosahexaenoic acid is displaced by palmitate, and the affinity of the protein for 11-ds-retinaldehyde is restored (Palczewski and Saari, 1997 Tschanz and Noy, 1997). 

Chen, Y., Houghton, L.A., Brenna, J.T. and Noy, N. (1996) Docosahexaenoic acid modulates the interactions of the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein with 11-cw-retinal. J. Biol. Chem. 271 20507-20515. 

Gong, J., Rosner, B., Rees, D., Berson, E., Weigel-DiFranco, C. and Schaefer, E. (1992) Plasma docosahexaenoic acid levels in various genetic forms of retinitis pigmentosa. Invest. Opthamol. Vis. Sci. 33 2596-2602. 

Hoffman, D. and Birch, D. (1995) Docosahexaenoic acid in red blood cells of patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. Invest. Opthalmol. Vis. Sci. 36 1009-1018. 

Gordon WC, Rodriguez de Turco EB, Bazan NG. Retinal pigment epithelial cells play a central role in the conservation of docosahexaenoic acid by photoreceptor cells after shedding and phagocytosis. Cuir Eye Res 1992 ll(l) 73-83. 

Rodriguez de Turco EB, Parkins N, Ershov AV, Bazan NG. Selective retinal pigment epithelial cell lipid metabolism and remodeling conserves photoreceptor docosahexaenoic acid following phagocytosis. J Neurosci Res 1999 57 479 86. 

Wang N, Anderson RE. Synthesis of docosahexaenoic acid by the retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Biochemistry 1993 32 13,703-13,709. 

Chen H, Wiegand RD. Koutz CA, Anderson RE. Docosahexaenoic acid increases in frog retinal pigment epithelium following rod photoreceptor shedding. Exp Eye Res 1992 55 93-100. 

Bazan NG, Gordon WC, Rodriguez de Turco EB. Docosahexaenoic acid uptake and metabolism in photoreceptors retinal conservation by an efficient retinal pigment epithelial cell-mediated recycling process. Adv Exp Med Biol 1992 318 295-306. 

Bazan NG, Rodriguez de Turco EB, Gordon WC. Docosahexaenoic acid supply to the retina and its conservation in photoreceptor cells by active retinal pigment epithelium-mediated recycling. World Rev Nutr Diet 1994 75 120-123. 

Bazan, N.G. (1989). The metabolism of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the eye the possible role of docosahexaenoic acid and docosanoids in retinal physiology and ocular pathology. Prog Clin Biol Res 312, 95-112. 

Wu, G.S. and N.A. Rao Activation of NADPH oxidase by docosahexaenoic acid hydroperoxide and its inhibition by a novel retinal pigment epithehal protein. Invest Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 40 (1999) 831-9. 

Docosahexaenoic acid (22 6n-3, DHA) is essential for normal brain and retinal development (1). A 22 6n-3 deficiency is associated with impaired neurological functions, including reduced learning ability in rats (2,3), impaired visual acuity in infant monkeys (4), and abnormal brain development in human infants with Zellweger syndrome (ZS) (5,6). 

A specific deficiency of docosahexaenoic acid (C22 6n-3 DHA) has been noted in some children with TCHAD, TFP, and VLCAD deficiency [14, 35, 38]. DHA is an essential component of cell membranes and is necessary for normal retinal and brain function. Whether the cause of the DHA deficiency is related to the low-fat diet or to poor synthesis of DHA from its precursor a-linolenic acid is not known. Supplementing children with TCHAD, TFP, and VTCAD deficiency with preformed DHA (60 mg/day for children less than 20 kg 100 mg/day for patients >20 kg 100-200 mg/ day for adults) should normalize plasma DHA levels and may slow progression of pigmentary retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy in TCHAD/TFP deficiency [15, 39, 40]. DHA supplements derived from algae rather than fish oils provide good amounts of DHA without other fatty acids. 

Calandria J. M., Marcheselli V. L., Mukheijee P. K., Uddin J., Winkler J. W., Petasis N. A., Bazan N. G. 2009. Selective survival rescue in 15-Upoxygenase-l-deficient retinal pigment epithelial cells by the novel docosahexaenoic acid-derived mediator, neuroprotectin Dl. Journal of Rioloeical Chemistry. 284(26) 17, 877-17, 882. 

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