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Souris_42061800_2024.pdf
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- Aging is a gradual process characterized by the progressive deterioration of bodily tissues, often accompanied by chronic low-grade inflammation, termed "inflammaging." This persistent inflammation is associated with various age-related diseases. The short-lived African turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, serves as an effective model for studying aging, as it exhibits clear age-related changes. This master’s thesis aimed to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a fatty acid known for its anti-inflammatory properties, by enriching the diet of N. furzeri with DHA. In this study, male N. furzeri were fed DHA-enriched pellets starting at 8 weeks of age, with tissue samples collected at 6 weeks (pre-diet), 14 weeks (adult stage), and 21 weeks (old stage). The objective was to assess DHA assimilation in the liver and brain by analyzing the fatty acid profiles of these tissues. Results indicated significant enrichment of DHA and other fatty acids, such as palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, and linoleic acids, in the liver, particularly in the neutral lipid fraction, when compared to fish fed with an olive oil diet. However, DHA enrichment in the brain was less conclusive, with DHA primarily found in the phospholipid fraction. In conclusion, the DHA-enriched diet successfully increased DHA levels in N. furzeri, particularly in the liver. However, further research is necessary to determine whether DHA supplementation can effectively reduce inflammaging by evaluating specific inflammatory markers.