Author(s)

Shu Taira, Michio Hashimoto, Kazunori Saito, Osamu Shido

Bruker Daltonics K.K., Kanagawa, Japan.
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Ishikawa, Japan.
Shimane University Haculty of Medicine, Shimane, Japan.

The present study employed an imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) method to evaluate the effect of dietary n – 3 fatty acids on the fatty acid composition in rat brain. Rats were divided into two groups and fed either an n – 3 fatty acid-deficient or adequate diet. We determined the decreased n – 3 fatty acids in the hippocampus of rats fed an n – 3 fatty acid-deficient diet compared to the control. IMS visualization was achieved at a resolution of 100 m in rat brain, and showed decreased docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-containing phosphatidyl choline (PC) or phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) in the hippocampus of rats fed an n – 3 fatty acid-deficient diet.

Docosahexaenoic Acid; Imaging Mass Spectrometry; Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry; Hippocampus

Taira, S. , Hashimoto, M. , Saito, K. and Shido, O. (2012) Visualization of decreased docosahexaenoic acid in the hippocampus of rats fed an n – 3 fatty acid-deficient diet by imaging mass spectrometry. Journal of Biophysical Chemistry, 3, 221-226. doi: 10.4236/jbpc.2012.33025.