A low n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio and high level of dietary ɑ-linolenic acid improves sleep behavior in mice with insomnia.

Unlabelled: oil (CSO) and oil (SZSO) are functional oils that have beneficial effects on brain health. This study evaluated the sedative and hypnotic effects of vegetable oils with various n - 6/n - 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ratios and ɑ-linolenic acid (ALA) contents to mice. The n - 6/n - 3 PUFA ratios of CSO (CSO:SZSO = 1:0, 1.8 g/kg), SZSO (CSO:SZSO = 0:1, 1.8 g/kg), CSO-SZSO-L (CSO:SZSO = 1:1, 1.8 g/kg), and CSO-SZSO-H (CSO:SZSO = 1:1, 3.6 g/kg) were 0.51, 140, 1.69, and 1.69, respectively. The doses of ALA administered to mice with p-chlorophenylalanine-induced insomnia were approximately 0.64, 50 × 10, 0.32, and 0.64 g/kg, respectively. The mice were administered CSO, SZSO, and a low-dose combination of CSO and SZSO for seven days with no obvious hypnotic effects. However, the administration of a high-dose combination of CSO and SZSO significantly prolonged sleep duration in mice with induced insomnia and inhibited the serum levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol. Interestingly, there were no significant effects on the structure and function of the hippocampal tissue. The results indicated that the anti-insomnia effects of these vegetable oils were positively correlated with a low n - 6/n - 3 PUFA ratio and the absolute amount of ALA.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-06004-1.