›› 2011, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (2): 120-124.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-5619.2011.02.010

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Correlation between the Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid and the Aggressive Behavior in Mice

LIU CHAO1,2, CAI WEI-XIONG2   

  1. (1. Department of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; 2. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, P.R.China, Shanghai 200063, China)
  • Online:2011-04-25 Published:2011-04-28

Abstract: Objective To explore the correlation between the eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA), docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) and the aggressive behavior in mice. Methods Seventy-two male Kunming mice were divided into control group, fish oil group, simvastatin group and aggressive reference group randomly. The control group, fish oil group and simvastatin group were given normal saline, fish oil and simvastatin by irrigation respectively for 3 months consecutively, each mouse was raised isolatedly. The latent period of assault, the frequencies of tail swing and assault, and the cumulative time of assault were recorded at the beginning and the end of the intervention. Finally, the EPA and DHA in brain were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The aggressive reference group was raised without intervention and was evaluated as aggressive reference only. Results (1) Before intervention, the latent period of assault, the frequencies of tail swing, the frequencies of assault, and the cumulative time of assault were not significantly different from each other group. After intervention, the differences were significant(P<0.05). (2) After the intervention, the content of EPA and DHA in mice brain was the most in the fish oil group, and the least in the simvastatin group. (3) The content of EPA was negatively related with the four indexes(P<0.05) before and after the intervention. The content of DHA was negatively related with the frequencies of tail swing and assault(P<0.05). Conclusion There is a correlation between the EPA, DHA and aggressive behavior in mice under stress.

Key words: forensic psychiatry, aggression, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acids, mice

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