New Omega-3 Supplement Crosses Retina Barrier to Prevent Visual Decline in Alzheimer’s and Diabetes Patients

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the fight against visual decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and other conditions. Through extensive research, they have created a new form of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that can penetrate the retina and prevent visual deterioration, which previous DHA supplements have been unable to achieve. This innovative approach is a significant breakthrough in the search for effective treatments for these debilitating diseases.

Most conventional supplements containing the omega-3 fatty acid DHA use a type known as triacylglycerol (TAG) DHA. While this form offers benefits to various parts of the body, it does not efficiently transport DHA into the retina through the bloodstream. However, after extensive experimentation, researchers have devised a new variant of DHA called lysophospholipid DHA (LPC-DHA). Testing on mice has shown that this innovative formula can effectively elevate DHA levels in the retina and alleviate the visual impairments linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

“Dietary LPC-DHA is enormously superior to TAG-DHA in enriching retinal DHA and could be potentially beneficial for various retinopathies in patients,” explains Sugasini Dhavamani, a research assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “This approach provides a novel therapeutic approach for the prevention or mitigation of retinal dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes.”

DHA plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy photoreceptors, the cells responsible for converting light into neural signals sent to the brain, and is primarily concentrated in the retina of healthy eyes. Inadequate levels of retinal DHA can lead to vision loss, a common issue in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and peroxisomal disorders, among others.

Although increasing DHA levels can prevent such visual deterioration, conventional supplements have failed to boost retinal DHA content effectively. The process of delivering DHA to the retina via supplements requires its absorption from the intestine into the bloodstream and then across the blood-retinal barrier, a challenging feat for current supplements.

“Increasing the retinal DHA at clinically feasible doses has not been possible until now because of the specificity of the blood–retinal barrier that is incompatible with the specificity of the intestinal barrier,” adds Dhavamani. “This study uses the novel approach of dietary LPC-DHA that overcomes both intestinal and blood–retinal barriers and improves retinal function.”

Through experimentation on mice exhibiting Alzheimer’s-like processes, the researchers administered daily doses of LPC-DHA supplements and observed significant improvements in retinal DHA content, as well as the preservation of retinal structure and function. Remarkably, the study demonstrated a 96% increase in retinal DHA content, while conventional TAG-DHA supplements failed to show any effect on DHA levels or visual function.

The findings suggest that LPC-DHA supplements could potentially alleviate the decline in visual function associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, this approach could also be useful in treating other conditions in which visual impairment and DHA deficiency are common.

The quantity of LPC-DHA administered to the mice is comparable to a daily dose of 250 to 500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids in humans. However, since these experiments were performed solely on mice, additional studies are necessary to determine the safety and efficacy of LPC-DHA for human use.

The results of the study will be showcased by Dhavamani at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Discover BMB, held from March 25 to 28 in Seattle.

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