Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major concern for public health worldwide, affecting 55 million people and being the leading cause of death and disability. To improve the outcomes and effectiveness of treatment for these patients, we conducted a study on the potential therapeutic use of N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine (synaptamide) in mice using the weight-drop injury (WDI) TBI model. Our study focused on exploring synaptamide's effects on neurodegeneration processes and changes in neuronal and glial plasticity. Our findings showed that synaptamide could prevent TBI-associated working memory decline and neurodegenerative changes in the hippocampus, and it could alleviate decreased adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Furthermore, synaptamide regulated the production of astro- and microglial markers during TBI, promoting the anti-inflammatory transformation of the microglial phenotype. Additional effects of synaptamide in TBI include stimulating antioxidant and antiapoptotic defense, leading to the downregulation of the Bad pro-apoptotic marker. Our data suggest that synaptamide has promising potential as a therapeutic agent to prevent the long-term neurodegenerative consequences of TBI and improve the quality of life.
Keywords: N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine (DHEA); hippocampus; neuroinflammation; synaptamide; traumatic brain injury; weight-drop injury model.