PUFA-induced neuroprotection against cerebral or spinal cord ischemia via the TREK-1 channel

The nutritional interest of polyunsaturated fatty acids from omega-3, that are mainly present in vegetal and fish oils is now validated by the scientific community. Their beneficial effects have first been reported in coronary heart diseases. Many neurological and chronic diseases are often related to deficiencies in omega-3 and omega-6 and their derivatives. Polyunsaturated fatty acids from omega-3 family are essential to brain growth and cognitive functions. They are recently considered as factors of improvement in some mental diseases. Today, polyunsaturated fatty acids could play a key role in the prevention and/or or the treatment of cerebral diseases. With the development of in vitro and in vivo experimental models, it is now possible to demonstrate the PUFA-induced neuronal protection against major pathologies such as epileptic seizures, cerebral and spinal ischemia. The molecular mechanism of neuronal protection induced by polyunsaturated fatty acids and particularly alphalinolenic acid is now clarified. The alpha-linolenic target would be a potassium channel, TREK-1, which belongs to the new family of 2-P domain potassium channels (K-2P). The discovery of the physiopathological role of these K-2P channels can represent an important therapeutical challenge not only in cerebrovascular diseases and epilepsy, but also in psychiatry