Protective effect of chronic ethyl docosahexaenoate administration on brain injury in ischemic gerbils

There is evidence that the excessive generation of reactive oxygen free radicals contributes to the brain injury associated with cerebral ischemia. In the present study, the protective effect of chronic administration of ethyl docosahexaenoate (E-DHA) against oxidative brain injury was evaluated in the gerbil model of transient cerebral ischemia. Weanling male gerbils were orally pretreated with either E-DHA (200 mg/kg) or vehicle, once a day, for 10 weeks and subjected to bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries for 10 min. At the different reperfusion times, E-DHA pretreatment significantly inhibited the increases in the production of brain salicylate-derived 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHBA) and content of brain malonildialdehyde (MDA). The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was not modified; however, pretreatment with E-DHA significantly prevented the level of brain-reduced glutathione (GSH) and activities of brain glutathione peroxidase (GSH-P(X)) and catalase (CAT) from declines caused by cerebral ischemia. Moreover, ischemia and reperfusion-induced delayed neuronal loss in the hippocampus CA1 sector and locomotor hyperactivity were also significantly attenuated by pretreatment with E-DHA. These results suggested that the neuroprotective effect of E-DHA might be due to its antioxidant property.