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Review
. 2023 Sep 12;24(18):13977.
doi: 10.3390/ijms241813977.

The Role of Acyl-CoA β-Oxidation in Brain Metabolism and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Sylwia Szrok-Jurga  1 , Jacek Turyn  1 , Areta Hebanowska  1 , Julian Swierczynski  2 , Aleksandra Czumaj  3 , Tomasz Sledzinski  3 , Ewa Stelmanska  1
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Acyl-CoA β-Oxidation in Brain Metabolism and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Sylwia Szrok-Jurga et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

This review highlights the complex role of fatty acid β-oxidation in brain metabolism. It demonstrates the fundamental importance of fatty acid degradation as a fuel in energy balance and as an essential component in lipid homeostasis, brain aging, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Keywords: aging; beta-oxidation; brain; fatty acid metabolism; neurodegenerative diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
βOX as an energy source: OXPHOS—oxidative phosphorylation, PDC—pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, PC—pyruvate carboxylase, MCT—monocarboxylate transporter, ATP—adenosine triphosphate, inhibition arc is coloured in red, stimulation arc is coloured in green.
Figure 2
Figure 2
βOX as a source of ketone bodies: HMG-CoA—β-hydroxy β-methylglutaryl-CoA.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The role of βOX in the degradation of fatty acids transported from neurons to astrocytes: ROS—reactive oxygen species, LDs—lipid droplets, FAs—fatty acids. * The location of the ApoE neuronal lipidation has not been fully confirmed.
Figure 4
Figure 4
βOX as a source of carbons for neurotransmitter synthesis: Gln—glutamine, Glu—glutamic acid, GABA—gamma-aminobutyric acid, αKG—α-ketoglutarate, OAA—oxaloacetate, CO2—carbon dioxide.
Figure 5
Figure 5
βOX as a source of acetyl-CoA in acetylation. The presence of astrocytes with an abundance of lipids induced oxidative stress, neuronal βOX, and stimulated reactive microglia formation. Ac—acetyl group, STAT3—signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, ACLY—ATP citrate lyase, inhibition arc is coloured in red, increased concentration/level is presented as green coloured arc, Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

This research was funded by Medical University of Gdansk (grants: ST-41 and ST-40).