Fish oil and treadmill exercise have age-dependent effects on episodic memory and oxidative state of the hippocampus.

There is a growing interest to better understand how lifestyle choices can improve memory functions. Treadmill exercise and long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish oil are able to stimulate hippocampal antioxidant defenses and improve memory. The aim was to test whether fish oil and exercise can improve rat's performance on memory tasks and optimize hippocampal antioxidant state in an age-dependent manner. Therefore, young and adult rats were exercised and received fish oil during 4 weeks. The exercise was performed for 30 min/day, with the speed gradually increasing from the first to the last week. Afterwards, episodic memory was measured by the recognition of object identity and spatial location. Hippocampal oxidative state was investigated with the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), carbonyls content, antioxidant enzymatic activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT)), and antioxidant nonenzymatic activity (reduced glutathione, sulfhydryl content). The adult rats treated with fish oil and exercise (FO&EX) were able to recognize object's shape and placement; however, FO&EX young rats had impaired spatial recognition (p < 0.05). The FO&EX young rats did not have reduced MDA or carbonyl content, though either fish oil or exercise reduced MDA (p < 0.05) and carbonyl levels (p < 0.01). Exercise increased SOD (p < 0.001) and CAT activities (p < 0.05), and fish oil enhanced SOD activity (p < 0.05) in young rats. At adulthood, exercise increased MDA levels (p < 0.05), and FO&EX reduced MDA (p < 0.001). Finally, exercise and fish oil improved nonenzymatic antioxidant defense (p < 0.05) only in adult rats. Results support age-dependent effects of fish oil and exercise on memory and oxidative state of the hippocampus during either neurodevelopment or adulthood.

Safflower (Catharmus tinctorius L.) oil supplementation in overnourished rats during early neonatal development: effects on heart and liver function in the adult.

Carthamus tinctorius L. (common name: safflower) is an herb whose extracted oil (safflower oil) has been employed in both alternative and conventional medicine in the treatment of disease. Overnutrition during early postnatal life can increase the lifetime risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Here we investigate the effect of safflower oil supplementation given during a critical early developmental stage on the eventual occurrence of metabolic disease in overnourished rats. Groups of overnourished or adequately nourished rats were randomly assigned into 2 additional groups for supplementation with either safflower oil (SF) or vehicle for 7 to 30 days. Murinometric data and weights were examined. Serum was collected for measurement of glucose, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides. Heart and liver oxidative status were also measured. Overnutrition for 7-30 days induced a significant increase in body weight and in values for abdominal circumference, thoracic circumference, body length, and body mass index. SF supplementation did not attenuate the effect of overnutrition on any of these parameters. In addition, overnutrition increased levels of glucose, triglycerides, and very low-density lipid compared with normal controls, but SF supplementation had no effect on these parameters. Measures of oxidative status in heart or liver were not influenced by overnutrition. However, oxidative measures were altered by SF supplementation in both of these organs. The present study reveals that nutritional manipulation during early development induces detrimental effects on metabolism in the adult that are not ameliorated by supplemental SF.