LAUSR

Abstract Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) enriched phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) are important bioactive components and widely distributed in multifarious marine products. In the present study, we investigated the effects of DHA enriched phospholipids with different polar groups (DHA-PC and DHA-PS) on MPTP-induced PD mice by behavioral experiments including rotarod test and open field test as well as immunohistochemistry. Three DHA supplements all exhibited observable protective effects on PD symptoms of MPTP-induced mice and increased the number of dopaminergic neurons, especially DHA-PS had better improvement than DHA-TG and DHA-PC. Further analysis indicated that DHA additive pretreatment could inhibit apoptosis via mitochondria - mediated pathway and MAPK pathway, and thus protecting dopaminergic neurons in MPTP-induced mice. These results suggested that DHA enriched phospholipids with different polar groups exerted varying improvements on MPTP-induced PD mice, which represented a potential novel therapeutic candidate for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.