Bioactive Lipids and the Gut-Brain Axis: Diet as a Modulator of Bioactivity and Diversity of Lipids in the Brain

The brain is highly rich in lipids, which accounts for roughly 50% of its dry weight. The brain lipidome, generally characterized over half a century ago, is comprised of thousands of biochemical structures expressed differentially as a function of brain region, structure, cell type and subcellular compartment. Lipids play diverse structural and functional roles in the brain, not only due to their chemical diversity but also due to the unique hydrophobic environment that they create. This lipophilic milieu promotes interactions involving reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that may not occur, at least at a similar extent, in aqueous environments.