Effect of Fish Oils on Brain Fatty Acid Composition and Learning Performance in Rats

The effects of sardine oil(high in eicosapentaenoic acid : EPA) and tuna oil(high in docosahexaenoic acid : DHA, also high in EPA) on fatty acid composition of brain and learning ability were evaluated in male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats and compared with the effects of corn oil and beef tallow. Animals assigned by randomized block design to one of the four experimental diet groups containing dietary lipid at 15%(w/w) level were given ad libitum for 7 weeks. Food intake and body weight gain of the fish oil groups were significantly lower than those of the corn oil and beef tallow groups. However, brain weights of the groups were not significantly different. In the brain fatty acid composition, the corn oil group showed high concentrations of n-6 fatty acids, the fish oil groups of n-3 fatty acids, and the beef tallow group of saturated fatty acids. Brain EPA and DHA contents of the fish oil groups showed significantly higher than the other groups while the brain ratio of saturated/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fatty acid was controlled in a narrow range. In a maze test, the fish oil groups appeared to arrive at the goal faster than the corn oil and beef tallow groups. It explained that EPA in diets might efficiently convert to DHA resulting in DHA accumulation in brain tissue and might increase the learning performance as DHA did.