The Association of Free Fatty Acids and Eicosanoids with the Severity of Depressive Symptoms in Stroke Patients

• Main Authors: Dariusz Kotlega, Agnieszka Zembron-Lacny, Monika Golab-Janowska, Przemyslaw Nowacki, Malgorzata Szczuko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: anti-inflammatory action; docosahexaenoic acid; neuroinflammation; omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/15/5220
• ISSN: 1661-6596; 1422-0067

The study was designed to demonstrate the relationship of free fatty acids (FFAs) and eicosanoids levels with the severity of depressive symptoms in stroke. The ischemic stroke patients (<i>n</i> = 74) were included in the prospective study. The risk of depression was evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) 7 days and 6 months after the stroke onset. FFAs and inflammatory metabolites were determined by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography. In the acute phase of stroke, BDI-II and FFAs inversely correlated with C13:0 tridecanoic acid, C15:1 cis-10-pentadecanoid acid, C17:1 cis-10- heptadecanoid acid, C18:0 stearic acid, C20:3n6 eicosatrienoic acid, C22:1cis13 docosenoic acid and C22:6n3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA level was significantly lower in patients with low vs. high BDI-II score. In the follow-up examination, BDI-II score directly correlated with C16:0 palmitic acid. The changes in BDI-II score during 6-month observation inversely correlated with lipoxin A4 and protectin D1, and directly correlated with 5-oxo-ETE. Importantly, the severity of depressive symptoms was associated with n3 PUFA level. Diet-derived FFAs were observed to potentially affect the inflammatory pathways in pathogenesis of depression in stroke and reduced DHA levels can attenuate depressive symptoms in stroke patients.