ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1573310
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of nutrition on brain healthView all 4 articles
Novel Approach to Enhancing Brain DHA Uptake: The Role of Nannochloropsis Microalgae Extract
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, China
- 2Xiaozao Technology, Shenzhen, China
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Background: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plays a pivotal role in sustaining the normal function of human brain and preventing metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. Despite its significance, the bioavailability of DHA from current supplements is suboptimal due to limited absorption capacity of adult brain. Recent studies have highlighted the role of Mfsd2a transporter in facilitating brain DHA uptake when DHA is esterified to lyso-phosphatidylcholine (LPC).Objective: Lyso-diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine (LDGTS), a betaine lipid that resembles LPC in structure and is abundant in Nannochloropsis microalgae oil, presents a promising alternative for enhancing DHA absorption. This study aimed to examine whether LDGTS-containing microalgae oil can promote brain DHA uptake.Methods: Seven groups of mice were fed different lipid formulations alongside their regular diet. After 15 days, tissue and organ samples were collected for lipid extraction and fatty acid analysis. Brain DHA uptake was quantified and compared across groups.The mice administered a combination of microalgae oil and triacylglycerol (TAG)-DHA showed a significant increase in brain DHA uptake compared to controls. This effect was not observed with TAG-DHA alone, microalgae oil alone, or krill oil. The facilitation of DHA incorporation was accompanied by a notable enhancement of pathways related to cell growth and retinol metabolism in the brain, while pathways associated with cellular apoptosis and inflammation were downregulated.These findings suggest that the inclusion of LDGTS-rich microalgae oil in DHA supplementation may offer a novel and effective strategy for improving the bioavailability of DHA in the brain.
Keywords: Omega-3 fatty Acids, Nannochloropsis microalgae, Blood-Brain Barrier, LDGTS, DHA, Mfsd2a
Received: 08 Feb 2025; Accepted: 13 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ma, Xie, Zhang, Liu, Yu and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Kunpeng Ma, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, China
Wei Yu, Xiaozao Technology, Shenzhen, China
Peihua Chen, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, China
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