Nat Metab: Stem Cells and Fish Oil - A New Weapon for Depression

Introduction: Simply take a few pills in the end can effectively alleviate the symptoms of depression? In recent years, studies have confirmed thatstem cellscan improve and repair the structure and function of the nervous system to a certain extent, and also provide a theoretical basis for the use of stem cells to treat depressionIn addition, because fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, eating large amounts of fish can reduce the incidence of depressionThis has led scientists to study whether fish oil, which contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, has a similar effectCombining the two, scientists offer new hope in the treatment of depressionsevere depression is the most common mental illnessAbout one in six people experience at least one episode of depression in their lifetimeHowever, about one-third of patients had ineffective antidepressant treatmentstudies show that people with severe depression appear to have more persistent inflammation in the brain, as well as other diseases commonly associated with inflammation, such as heart disease and rheumatoid arthritisBut more research is needed to further understand the linkThe study found that both fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids inhibit inflammation in the brain and body, improving the function ofimmunesystemfish oil consists of two main fatty acids: EPA (twenty-carbon pentaenoic acid) and DHA (22 carbon hexachlor)Both EPA and DHA are polyunsaturated fats, also known as "beneficial fats." Because both fatty acids have many benefits, when choosing supplements that are beneficial for mental health, experts generally recommend that the EPA content in the health care product should be 50% or more Higher levels of health care products in the EPA benefit the idea of taking fish oil early on to treat depression is simple: people can try it as a supplement to other therapies and treatments under the guidance of a doctor to see if it helps, but they shouldn't expect it to be a magic drug , researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) recently published a study in Molecular Psychiatry that showed that adult stem cells from patient sources can be used to simulate severe depression and test patients' responses to drugs It was also found that fish oil produced an antidepressant response when tested in a simulation For the study, UIC researchers used skin cells from adults with depression, which were converted into stem cells at Massachusetts General Hospital and then cultured into nerve cells Skin biopsies are taken from two types of patients: those who previously responded to antidepressant treatment and those who were previously resistant to antidepressants When fish oil was tested, the models of patients who were sensitive to treatment and resistant to treatment responded well This response is similar to what prescription antidepressants see, but it is produced through different mechanisms studies have shown that fish oil acts in part on glial cells, not neurons For years, scientists have paid little attention to glial cells, a type of brain cell that surround strains, but there is growing evidence that glial cells may play a role in depression Studies have shown that glial cells are also important for antidepressant sefactory effects studies have also shown that stem cell models can be used to study responses to treatments, and that fish oil as a treatment for depression or as an accompanying treatment is worth further research