Functionality of PC-DHA

Abstract

PC-DHA, docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid conjugated phosphatidylcholine, has two functional structures in one molecule. One is DHA and another is choline. PC-DHA is a practical transporter of DHA and choline. As lysophospholipids can pass through blood-brain barrier, it is suggested that PC-DHA transports DHA and choline to the brain. Thus, it is assumed that this transportation influences cognition, sleep, lipid metabolism, and circadian rhythm. We report here in the influence of sleep and the metabolic syndrome with PC-DHA. It was found that %SREM, the relative amount of REM sleep in a given sleep period , increased significantly (25～35% from the baseline) over a 3-month administration period. This increase in %SREM disappeared during the washout session. These results suggest that PC-DHA increases REM sleep to an optimal amount, and may contribute to stabilizing sleep structure. In addition, PC-DHA can prevent or alleviate obesity-related disorders through the suppression of fatty acid synthesis, enhancement of fatty acid beta-oxidation, and increase in the serum adiponectin level in OLETF rats.