Combined dietary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids protect against hyperglycemia-associated retinopathy in neonatal mice.

ABSTRACT: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) with early vessel loss (Phase I) followed by uncontrolled vessel growth (Phase II) causes visual impairment in premature infants. Although supplementation with omega-3 (n-3) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) alone shows mixed results in preventing ROP, supplementation with both n-3 DHA and n-6 arachidonic acid (ARA) in early postnatal life reduces severe ROP by 50 % (Mega Donna Mega study). In the Mega Donna Mega study, 146 (72.6 %) of 201 included infants had at least one hyperglycemic episode during the first 14 days of life, which is a strong ROP risk factor. We therefore evaluated the protective effects and mechanisms of combined dietary n-3 DHA and n-6 ARA in a neonatal mouse model of hyperglycemia-induced suppression of retinal vascular development (Phase I

SUBMITTER: Boeck M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12445345 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature