10 replies to this topic

[nanothan]

If there was something which could improve the health of the myelin and/or increase the availibility of the materials needed to construct myelin it would probably be a powerful nootropic. And there seems to be something which could do this-nervonic acid. The only question is whether or not it crosses the blood brain barrier.

http://en.wikipedia....c_acid</strong>
Nervonic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. Nervonic acid has been identified as important in the biosynthesis of nerve cell myelin.^[2] It is found in the sphingolipids of white matter in human brain.

Nervonic acid is used in the treatment of disorders involving demyelination, such as adrenoleukodystrophy and multiple sclerosis where there is a decreased level of nervonic acid in sphingolipids.^[3]

Use of nervonic acid and long chain fatty acids for the treatment of demyelinating disorders

Unfourtunetly:

The brain cannot use long-chain fatty acids for energy because only medium-chain fatty acids (which are scarce in most foods) can cross the blood-brain barrier.[1]

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis

However I also read this:

It has already been established that the blood-brain barrier is readily crossed by unsaturated fatty acids, while saturated fatty acid transport appears to be protein mediated.

(nervonic acid is monounsaturated) from: http://www.springerl...373640kr470h767

Also, nervonic acid is a lipid and is thus hydrophobic and has a molecular weight of 366 g/mol, and according to http://molinterv.asp...ent/3/2/90.full nervonic acid should cross the BBB:

Only a small class of drugs—small molecules with high lipid solubility and a low molecular mass (M_r ) of < 400–500 g/mol—actually cross the BBB

Anyone know for sure whether or not nervonic acid crosses the BBB?

Edited by nanothan, 31 December 2010 - 09:59 PM.

[SayIDoAndIDont]

It probably does since it's apparently found in breastmilk and speeds brain development/quality in infants. Where would you buy it anyway? It's found in mustard seed and rape seed, but those contain a harmful fatty acid as well, forgot what it was called.

Edited by SayIDoAndIDont, 31 December 2010 - 11:29 PM.

[aLurker]

It probably does since it's apparently found in breastmilk and speeds brain development/quality in infants. Where would you buy it anyway? It's found in mustard seed and rape seed, but those contain a harmful fatty acid as well, forgot what it was called.

Yeah, definitely sounds harmful. Watch out for those rape seeds.

[SayIDoAndIDont]

Yeah, definitely sounds harmful. Watch out for those rape seeds.

It's called erucic acid.

https://secure.wikim...iki/Erucic_acid

[nanothan]

Anyone know for sure if it crosses the blood-brain barrier? Please post a link to an journal article or some reliable source, or if you are a scientist or doctor and understand the blood-brain-barrier and nervonic acid in depth please give your thoughts.

[SayIDoAndIDont]

Anyone know for sure if it crosses the blood-brain barrier? Please post a link to an journal article or some reliable source, or if you are a scientist or doctor and understand the blood-brain-barrier and nervonic acid in depth please give your thoughts.

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6664406/description.html

Though both DHA and GLA go through the blood-brain barrier, results obtained from brain analyses clearly confirm that these two fatty acids act differently in the form of propane-1,3-diol derivatives: contrary to treatment with NA:DHA, treatment with NA:GLA results in an augmentation of NA level in brain lipids, which may mean NA crosses the blood-brain barrier in the form of NA:GLA.

Edited by SayIDoAndIDont, 01 January 2011 - 04:16 AM.

[nanothan]

Anyone know for sure if it crosses the blood-brain barrier? Please post a link to an journal article or some reliable source, or if you are a scientist or doctor and understand the blood-brain-barrier and nervonic acid in depth please give your thoughts.

http://www.patentsto...escription.html

Though both DHA and GLA go through the blood-brain barrier, results obtained from brain analyses clearly confirm that these two fatty acids act differently in the form of propane-1,3-diol derivatives: contrary to treatment with NA:DHA, treatment with NA:GLA results in an augmentation of NA level in brain lipids, which may mean NA crosses the blood-brain barrier in the form of NA:GLA.

Great. Now, does anyone know what NA:GLA looks like? The IUPAC name is: 1-(z-15-tetracosenoyloxy)-3-(z,z,z-6,9,12-octadecatrienoyloxy)propane (hereinafter referred to as NA:GLA);

Does anyone know how to convert that to a structure, and what exactly the :GLA means?

[trance]

A number of sources are referenced in this document:

http://www.wipo.int/...40&DISPLAY=DESC

Although nervonic acid is rare or insignificant in normal diets, it does occur in a small number of plant seeds and micro-organisms. Natural sources include the seed oils of Cardamine gracea, Heliphila longifola, Thlaspi perfoliatum. Tropaeolum speciosum. Lunaria biennis. Lunaria annua and Malania oleifera; the moulds Neocallismastix frontalis. Ervsiphe qraminis and Sphaerotheca humuli ; the bacterium Pseudomonas atlantica: the yeast Saccharomvces cerevisiae and the marine diatom Nitzschia cylindrus .

A preferred source is the seed oil of plants known to contain significant amounts, i.e. greater than 10%, of nervonic acid in the lipid (usually triglyceride) . Clearly other sources containing less than 10% can be used, but are of lower value since higher concentrations would have to be employed to provide the optimal amount, or the nervonic acid would require concentrating by the use of additional steps. The seed oils of Lunaria species e.g. Lunaria biennis are of particular value since they contain over 20% nervonic acid in the triglyceride lipid.

[SayIDoAndIDont]

Great. Now, does anyone know what NA:GLA looks like? The IUPAC name is: 1-(z-15-tetracosenoyloxy)-3-(z,z,z-6,9,12-octadecatrienoyloxy)propane (hereinafter referred to as NA:GLA);

Does anyone know how to convert that to a structure, and what exactly the :GLA means?

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Gamma-Linolenic_acid

I'm guessing it's GLA and NA bonded together at the hydroxyl (OH) groups by removing an H from each and a O from one side. Triglycerides are broken down in the digestive system and rebuilt so I guess that means GLA must be taken with NA in order to make NA:GLA so that it can cross the blood-brain barrier and then it can finally be used in myelin.

Edited by SayIDoAndIDont, 01 January 2011 - 05:37 AM.

[RighteousReason]

anybody know a good source of nervonic acid?

 

this isn't too helpful:
http://nutritiondata...00000000-w.html

[normalizing]

this thread is real old. somehow it seems the project was abandoned.