LOS ANGELES, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a model for how the brain acquires essential omega-3 fatty acids, which may aid the design of targeted drug delivery into the brain and central nervous system.
Their findings, published in Nature Communications, have the potential to improve understanding of lipid transport across the blood-brain barrier and of disruptions in this process that can lead to birth defects or neurological conditions, the NIH said on Tuesday.
The model may also enable researchers to design drug molecules that are capable of directly reaching the brain, according to the research.
Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential because the body cannot make them and must obtain them through foods, such as fish, nuts and seeds.
