An injectable emulsion with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil has been found to significantly decrease brain damage in newborn rodents following oxygen deprivation near birth, a common cause of disability in human infants and children. This discovery was made by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Brain damage due to a lack of oxygen during labor and delivery affects one to three out of every 1,000 newborns.Out of every 1,000 live births in the United States, hypoxic brain injury occurs. Surviving babies with this condition can develop cerebral palsy, cognitive disability, epilepsy, pulmonary hypertension, and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Richard Deckelbaum, a professor of nutrition and pediatrics and a coordinating author of the study, states, “Hypoxic brain injury can have devastating, lifelong consequences, and we suggest our novel therapeutic approach using intravenous omega-3 emulsions could markedly reduce these adverse outcomes.”
The study also concluded that the unique omega-3 preparation is significantly more effective in rodents compared to therapeutic hypothe.rmia, is the current standard therapy for hypoxic brain injury and is the only treatment approved by the FDA. However, it only helps around 15% of patients and can lead to complications such as heart and respiratory issues. Hylde Zirpoli, an associate research scientist in Deckelbaum’s group and the study’s senior author, believes that there is a need to find a more effective and practical treatment for hypoxic brain injury. This new treatment should be able to be administered in the immediate hours after the injury when therapy is most likely to have the greatest impact. The study introduces a new injectable fish oil formulation as a potential solution.Previous research conducted by Deckelbaum’s colleagues and other experts has indicated that omega-3 emulsions, which are minute droplets of omega-3 fatty acids dispersed in liquid, may offer neuroprotective benefits. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil have been shown to reduce inflammation and cell death caused by oxygen deprivation. However, the bioactive compounds present in commercially available oral omega-3 supplements often take a few weeks or months to produce an effect, making them less than ideal for immediately protecting organs after an injury.
Recognizing this limitation, the team at Columbia University has devised an injectable omega-3 therapy that is specifically designed for use in such critical situations.Therapy is a formulation of diglyceride, consisting of two omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) bound to a glyceride molecule. This structure enhances their ability to form tiny, concentrated particles. In comparison, fish oil and dietary sources of fatty acids are mostly triglycerides, which contain three fatty acids per molecule.
The new diglyceride is expected to increase the concentration of omega-3 molecules that can quickly penetrate the blood-brain barrier.
Results from the study show that when the therapy was given to week-old mice and rats with hypoxic brain injury, the experimental emulsion reduced caused less brain damage than the commercially available omega-3 injectable emulsion, but it was also absorbed into the animals’ bloodstream twice as fast. This new therapy also resulted in animals having normal motor coordination and reflexes, similar to animals with no brain injury, indicating improved neurologic function. The experimental emulsion and the commercial emulsion had similar doses, but the experimental emulsion appeared to be more effective in treating brain damage.The researchers are optimistic about the potential for their findings to have a positive impact on reducing disabilities and improving patient well-being and the overall healthcare system. They are planning to conduct clinical trials in newborns and further explore the therapy’s effectiveness in preventing damage to the central nervous system in animals with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. They also aim to investigate the potential applications of the therapy in other acute injuries and conditions where oxygen deprivation causes organ damage, such as heart attacks.Attack and stroke.
