Furan fatty acids efficiently rescue brain cells from cell death induced by oxidative stress.

Treatment of rat brain C6 astroglioma cells with furan fatty acid F6 prior to exposure to hydrogen peroxide shows a strong protective effect of F6 against cell death resulting from oxidative stress. This protective effect is obtained only for F6 administered as a free fatty acid and with an intact furan ring. It is proposed that brain cells are rescued by F6 scavenging radicals elicited by lipid peroxidation within the cell membrane. Oxidative processes outside the cell membrane, such as protein carbonylation, are not affected by F6. Furan fatty acids such as those present in fish oils and marine organisms are likely beneficial for consumption in reducing the risk of diseases that have been implicated to arise from oxidative stress, such as Alzheimer's disease.