Incorporation of Dietary Arachidonic and Docosatetraenoic Acid into Mouse Brain

It is essential to analyze the metabolism of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in the brain for the research and development of functional foods. In this study, a single dose of 2,2-dideuterium-labeled docosatetraenoic acid ((+2)DTA) or 2,2-dideuterium-labeled arachidonic acid ((+2)AA) was orally administered to Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice and its metabolism in the brain was investigated. In the (+2)DTA group, the (+2)DTA content in the brain was significantly increased at 4, 8, 24, and 96 h compared to 0 h after administration, while in the (+2)AA group, the (+2)AA content was significantly increased at 4, 8, 24, and 96 h compared to 0 h. However, there was no significant difference in the content of (+2)DTA, a metabolite of (+2)AA, among all the groups. These results suggest that dietary (+2)DTA and (+2)AA pass through the blood-brain barrier and dietary (+2)AA is rather stored in the brain than converted to (+2)DTA.