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Do Fatty Acids Cross the Blood Brain Barrier, if yes then why no Beta Oxidation in the brain?

13K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  jorgemorales 
#1 ·
Do fatty acids pass the blood brain barrier? If yes how they are used in the CNS? Do we have beta oxidation in the brain?
 
#6 · (Edited)
Initial studies stated that fatty acids could not enter the brain.
Recent studies propose that the blood brain barrier has mechanisms for selective uptake of certain types of fatty acids, e.g. essential fatty acids. These mechanisms have not been yet clearly elucidated. For example, fatty acid transporters proteins, monocarboxylic acid transporters and certain lipoproteins receptors have been described in the endothelial cells of the BBB. Other investigators propose that FA can readably cross the BBB by using a reversible flip-flop mechanism of simple diffusion. The function and the pathways the brain uses for utilization of fatty acids are also not well understood.

Also, future research areas have been identified and clarified by the second International Workshop on "Brain Uptake and Utilization of Fatty Acids, Lipids and Lipoproteins: Application to Neurological Disorders". We should expect future discoveries on these matters.

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17901540
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11478373
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17901559
 
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