Docosahexaenoic acid reduces levodopa-induced dyskinesias in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine monkeys.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid (omega-3), on levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LIDs) in parkinsonian 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated monkeys.

METHODS

We explored the effect of DHA in two paradigms. First, a group of MPTP monkeys was primed with levodopa for several months before introducing DHA. A second group of MPTP monkeys (de novo) was exposed to DHA before levodopa therapy.

RESULTS

DHA administration reduced LIDs in both paradigms without alteration of the anti-parkinsonian effect of levodopa indicating that DHA can reduce the severity or delay the development of LIDs in a nonhuman primate model of Parkinson's disease.

INTERPRETATION: These results suggest that DHA can reduce the severity or delay the development of LIDs in a nonhuman primate model of Parkinson's disease. DHA may represent a new approach to improve the quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients.