Omega 3, 6 long-chain fatty acid imbalance delays neurovascular development in hyperglycemia-associated retinopathy

There is a gap in our understanding of the protective effect of the essential ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on proliferative retinopathies. In retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), DHA supplementation alone may not reduce the risk for severe disease. We found that in mouse neonates with hyperglycemia-associated retinopathy (HAR) with impaired retinal vessel growth modeling Phase I ROP versus controls, there was a strong metabolic shift in almost all types of retinal neuronal cells identified with single-cell transcriptomics. Loss of adiponectin (Apn-/-), modeling low APN seen in premature infants, caused a ω-3 and ω-6 LCPUFA imbalance in HAR mouse retinas. Dietary intake of ω-3 vs ω-6 LCPUFA promoted retinal vessel growth, associated with increased APN levels and increased retinal APN receptor AdipoR1 gene expression. Interestingly, we found that ω-6 vs. ω-3 LCPUFA was essential in maintaining retinal metabolism and neuronal development. Our findings suggest that both ω-3 and ω-6 LCPUFA are essential in protecting against retinal neurovascular dysfunction in Phase I ROP model. Maintaining adequate ω-6 LCPUFA levels is required while supplementing ω-3 LCPUFA to prevent retinopathy. P10 control (n=3 mice), P10 stz (n=3 mice), P10 stz omega3 (n=2 mice), P10 stz omega6 (n=3 mice)