Nature Sub-journal: Using stem cell models to reveal new mechanisms for antidepressant effects of fish oil.

, June 20, 2020 /
bio-valley/--- In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Massachusetts General Hospital found thatstem cells from adult patientscan be used to simulateof severedepression and test their responses to medicationThey found that when tested in this model, fish oil produced an antidepressant responseThe results of the study, recently published in the journal Moleculary Letters, are entitled "N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids promote astrocyte and researchrotrophin production independent of cAMP in patient-neural lyued stem cells"images from Molecular Ge, 2020, doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-0786-5Mark Rasenick of the University of Illinois at the University of Illinois at Chicago, co-author of thepaper, said the study provides new findings that could help scientists better understand how the brain works and why some people respond to medicationsdepression, while others benefit from antidepressants with limited benefits"It's also exciting to find scientific evidence that fish oil --- an easy-to-access natural product--- may be an effective treatment fordepression, " Rasenick said"
severe depression is the most common mental illness About one in six people experience at least one episode of depression in their lifetime However, antidepressant treatment failed in about one-third of patients In the new study, , the researchers used skin cells from adult depression patients that were converted into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) at Massachusetts General Hospital, where iPS cells were then induced to produce induced neural stem cells (iNSC) After further induction, iNSC differentiates into astrocytes Skin biopsy samples were taken from two groups of patients: those who had previously responded to antidepressants and those who had previously been resistant to antidepressants When tested with fish oil, models from antidepressant sensitivity and antidepressant resistance patients responded The reaction was similar to the one observed from prescription antidepressants, but it was produced through different mechanisms, Rasenick said "We see that fish oil acts in part on astrocytes, not neurons," Rasenick said For years, scientists have paid little attention to the --- of astrocytes --- a type of brain cell located around neurons, but there is growing evidence that astrocytes may play a role in depression Our research suggests that astrocytes may also be able to combat depression Our study also showed that stem cell models can be used to study post-treatment responses, and that fish oil as a treatment or auxiliary treatment for depression is worth further study "(Biological Valley Bioon.com) Reference: Jiang-Zhou Yu et al N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids promote astrocyte dywedodd y rhoitrohin production i nocAMP in patient-roedd neural cells Molecular Gey, 2020, doi: 10.1038/s41380-020-0786-5.
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