PMID:
Nutrients. 2019 Sep 6 ;11(9). Epub 2019 Sep 6. PMID: 31500218
Abstract Title:
Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids PreventInfection by Inducing Autophagy via AMPK Activation.
Abstract:
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3-PUFAs) have potential protective activity in a variety of infectious diseases, but their actions and underlying mechanisms ininfection remain poorly understood. Here, we report that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) robustly induced autophagy in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Treatment of-infected macrophages with DHA resulted in colocalization ofparasitophorous vacuoles with autophagosomes and reduced intracellular survival of. The autophagic and anti-effects induced by DHA were mediated by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling. Importantly, BMDMs isolated from Fat-1 transgenic mice, a well-known animal model capable of synthesizingω3-PUFAs from ω6-PUFAs, showed increased activation of autophagy and AMPK, leading to reduced intracellular survival ofwhen compared with wild-type BMDMs. Moreover, Fat-1 transgenic mice exhibited lower cyst burden in the brain following infection with the avirulent strain ME49 than wild-type mice. Collectively, our results revealed mechanisms by which endogenousω3-PUFAs and DHA controlinfection and suggest thatω3-PUFAs might serve as therapeutic candidate to prevent toxoplasmosis and infection with other intracellular protozoan parasites.
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