Synaptosomes as a model to study fish oil and olive oil effect as neuroprotectors

Including edible oils in the diet has clear health benefits, mainly because they are good antioxidant sources. Among the wide variety of oil types, fish oil and olive oil have been reported as rich sources of long-chain ω-3 (LC ω-3) and ω-6 fatty acids, which play a crucial role in various cellular processes. Unsaturated oils have been used to treat, prevent, or ameliorate neurodegenerative diseases in experimental models and human patients. While several reports on the neuroprotective effect of LC ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids have been published, the mechanism of action underlying this effect has not been widely studied. In this chapter, we will focus on the use of synaptosomes as a valuable research tool. Synaptosomes loaded with quinolinic acid (agonist for N-methyl D-aspartate receptor) mimic some effects of Huntington’s disease, a hereditary neurodegenerative condition. This model provides information about synaptic transmission and the composition of the plasma membrane involved in neural communication. We also provide recent evidence on the neuroprotective effect of fatty acids from fish and olive oils, both in clinical studies and experimental models, highlighting the neuroprotective effect of fatty acids when incorporated into synaptosome’s membrane and by modifying the signaling pathways involving peroxisome proliferator–activated receptors.