A new study revealed a unique property found in “omega-3” acids, which are mainly linked to the brain and would be involved in the treatment of a number of diseases, especially neurological ones.
The new study confirmed the presence of a transporter protein (MFSD2A) that provides a gateway for “omega-3” fatty acids to enter the brain, which contributes to recovery from neurological diseases.
Small molecule omega-3 fatty acids infiltrate the brain
According to the study published at Columbia University, this research opens amazing doors for the role of a small molecule that transports “omega-3” fatty acids to the brain and serves as a gateway for the delivery of neurological treatments to the brain.
“We were able to obtain a three-dimensional structure of the transporter protein that provides a gateway for omega-3 to enter the brain,” said lead author of the new study, Dr Rosemary J. .
Investing this mechanism to transport drugs to the brain
“In this structure, we can see how omega-3 binds to vectors. This information may allow the design of drugs that mimic omega-3 to use this system and enter the brain,” she added.
The main challenge in treating neurological diseases, according to research published in the journal Nature, is getting the drugs across the blood-brain barrier – a layer of tightly packed cells that line the brain’s blood vessels and prevent toxins, pathogens and certain nutrients from entering the brain.
But this layer, unfortunately, also inhibits many drugs that are considered promising candidates for the treatment of neurological disorders and a number of brain diseases.
The carriers act as “guards” and require a “pass”
Essential nutrients like omega-3s require help from specialized transporter proteins that specifically recognize them and transport them across this barrier.
“These vectors are like sentinels, they only allow molecules that contain invitations to pass through,” Kater says.
The carrier or sentinel that allows entry to omega-3s is called MFSD2A and is the focus of Cutter’s research. “Understanding what MFSD2A looks like and how it pulls omega-3s across the blood-brain barrier may provide us with the information we need to design drugs that can trick this sentinel into gaining passes,” she continues.
“This information is important for understanding how the transporter works at the molecular level,” says study co-author Filippo Mancia, an expert on the structure and function of membrane proteins.
“The results of the study demonstrate that MFSD2A has a bowl-like shape and that omega-3s bind to a specific aspect of that bowl,” Kater explains.
“We either need multiple different shots or better yet do a vector movie in motion,” she continues.
To understand what these movements might look like, study co-author Dr. George Khelashvili used a 3D model of the protein as a starting point to run computational simulations that revealed how the transporter moves and adapts its shape to release omega-3s in the brain.
The team is now looking into how the transporter first recognizes omega-3s in the bloodstream. “The study gave us tremendous insight into how MFSD2A delivers omega-3s to the brain, and we’re really excited to see where our results will lead,” says Kater.