Dietary balance between n-6 PUFA and n-3 PUFA probably plays a major role in the regulation of brain function. Some studies suggest that an n-3 PUFA deficiency exacerbates the sensitivity of individuals to emotional disturbances, such as chronic stress. The aim of our work was to determine the impact of n-3 PUFA dietary intakes on stress response. The regulation of biochemical, electrophysiological and behavioural parameters by chronic restraint stress has been evaluated in rats receiving different n-3 PUFA supplies (n-3 PUFA deficient, balanced, n-3 LC-PUFA enriched). In parallel, we have conduced an in vitro study to characterize the effects of glucocorticoids (one of the major hormone involved in stress response) and of PUFA on the release of neurotransmitter (in human neuroblastoma SH_SY5Y cells) and on several astrocytic properties involved in synaptic regulation (in primary culture of rat astrocytes). In rats, we have shown that stress response is modulated by the n-3 PUFA status: the n-3 PUFA deficiency exacerbated the sensibility to stress, by aggravating the reduction of locomotor activity and the sensibility to anxiogenic environment; conversely, the n-3 LC-PUFA enrichment reduced rat responses to chronic stress, by limiting the weight loss, the increase in plasma corticosterone and the emotional response. As suggested by the results obtained in vitro, these effects are linked to complex influences of PUFA and glucocorticoids on the release of neurotransmitter and on astroglial morphological plasticity and glutamate uptake capacity.
