Aging decreases docosahexaenoic acid transport across the blood-brain barrier in C57BL/6J mice.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Non-clinical bench and animal laboratory study (mechanism-based reasoning)
PubMed 36795730 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0281946
What was done
Researchers measured the blood-brain barrier (BBB) uptake of non-esterified [14C]DHA across male C57BL/6 mice aged 2, 8, 12, and 24 months using an in situ transcardiac brain perfusion technique. They also quantified MFSD2A and FABP5 transporter protein expression in brain microvasculature across age groups, tested competition with unlabeled DHA in 2-month-old mice, and evaluated the effect of siRNA-mediated MFSD2A knockdown on [14C]DHA uptake in primary rat brain endothelial cell (RBEC) cultures.
What was found
Brain uptake of [14C]DHA was significantly reduced in 12- and 24-month-old mice compared to 2-month-old mice (specific numerical values not reported in the abstract). MFSD2A protein expression in brain microvasculature decreased with age, whereas FABP5 protein expression increased. Brain [14C]DHA uptake in 2-month-old mice was inhibited by excess unlabeled DHA. In RBEC cultures, siRNA knockdown decreased MFSD2A protein expression by 30% and reduced cellular uptake of [14C]DHA by 20%.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that aging impairs brain DHA uptake via down-regulation of MFSD2A at the BBB, clarifying how age-related transporter loss may contribute to reduced brain DHA levels.
Limits
The abstract does not provide exact sample sizes, effect sizes with confidence intervals, or numerical uptake values for the mouse perfusion experiments. The findings are derived from male rodents and in vitro rat endothelial cells, so relevance and effect magnitudes in humans remain unestablished.
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