Effect of ovary lipid of Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) on anxious behavior in rats.

Ovary lipid of Skipjack tuna (OLS) (Katsuwonus pelamis) contains a high level of docosahexaenoic acid combined with phospholipids. In this study, we examined the effect of OLS in male Wistar rats given OLS mixed in feed (0.9%) for 42 days, using an animal model of anxiety, the elevated T-maze test. The avoidance latency at the 1st trial was significantly shorter in the OLS ingestion group than in the control group. Those at the 2nd and 3rd trials showed a similar tendency. There was almost no difference in escape latency at the 1st trial between the two groups but the escape latencies at the 2nd and 3rd trials tended to be longer in the OLS group. These results suggested that OLS inhibits anxious behavior in rats.