N-3 PUFA supplementation alleviates anxiety symptoms by manipulating erythrocyte fatty acid levels in depression

Lu Wang; Ting Liu; Jimin Guo; Tingyu Zhao; Hui Tang; Feifei Wang; Fang Dong; Jindong Chen; Mimi Tang

doi:10.1007/s00394-024-03421-y

N-3 PUFA supplementation alleviates anxiety symptoms by manipulating erythrocyte fatty acid levels in depression

Eur J Nutr. 2024 May 17. doi: 10.1007/s00394-024-03421-y. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lu Wang^#^{1

2

3}, Ting Liu^#^{4

5}, Jimin Guo⁶, Tingyu Zhao^{4

5}, Hui Tang³, Feifei Wang^{1

2

3}, Fang Dong^{1

2

3}, Jindong Chen³, Mimi Tang^{7

8}

Affiliations

¹ The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders and Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100088, China.
² Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
³ Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, National Center for Mental Disorders, and China National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China.
⁵ National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China.
⁶ College of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
⁷ Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China. tangmimi1989@163.com.
⁸ National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China. tangmimi1989@163.com.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38758363
DOI: 10.1007/s00394-024-03421-y

Abstract

Purpose: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is frequently accompanied by the symptoms of clinical anxiety. Since our previous research has found that n-3 PUFA supplementation alleviates anxiety in MDD, this study was aimed to further explore whether n-3 PUFA supplementation improves anxiety symptoms in depression by directly manipulating fatty acid levels.

Methods: A secondary analysis of biomarker data (erythrocyte fatty acid composition) collected as part of the randomized clinical trial which investigated the adjunctive effect of n-3 PUFAs was conducted on 72 venlafaxine-treated outpatients with first-diagnosed, drug-naïve depression. All participants with longitudinal biomarker data were included in the association analysis to determine how n-3 PUFA supplementation influences fatty acid composition and alleviates anxiety symptoms in depression.

Results: Decreases of the C20:3n6 were found in all participants at both follow-up time points (χ² = 96.36, p = 0.000). The n-3 index (χ² = 10.59, p = 0.001), EPA (χ² = 24.31, p = 0.000), and C22:5n3/C20:5n3 ratio (χ² = 10.71, p = 0.001) were increased, while C22:4n6 (χ² = 7.703, p = 0.006) was decreased in n-3 PUFA group compared to the placebo group. The improvement in anxiety symptoms positively correlates with the extent of reduction of C16:0, C18:0, and total fatty acid levels as well as D5 desaturase activity (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: These data suggest that the anxiolytic effect exerted by n-3 PUFAs in first-diagnosed, drug-naïve depression is manipulated by erythrocyte fatty acid levels. Saturated fatty acid levels have an important role in predicting the severity of anxiety symptoms.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Fatty acids; N-3 PUFAs.

Abstract

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