Lipase Treatment of Dietary Krill Oil, but Not Fish Oil, Enables Enrichment of Brain Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid.

Scope: Currently available omega-3 fatty acid supplements do not enrich the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) of the adult brain because they are absorbed as triacylglycerol, whereas the transporter at the blood brain barrier requires lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)-DHA. The hypothesis that treatment of krill oil (KO), which contains DHA/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) at the SN2 position of phosphatidylcholine, with SN1-specific lipase will generate LPC-DHA/EPA and which can be absorbed intact and transported into the brain, is tested.

Methods: KO and fish oil (FO) are treated with Mucor meihei lipase, incorporated into AIN 93G diet, and fed to 2-month-old mice for 30 days.