C15:0, an essential fatty acid initially discovered while caring for older dolphins, demonstrates key activities relevant to improving cognition, lowering amyloid-B plaques, and lowering neuroinflammation.
SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Older bottlenose dolphins and humans are both susceptible to developing aging-associated conditions, including insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and anemia. A new published study shows that dolphins can also develop age-related changes in the brain, including increased amyloid-ꞵ plaques and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for memory. As a promising way forward, this study also showed that C15:0, an emerging essential fatty acid initially discovered while helping older dolphins, has activities that can directly protect cognitive health.
“While there is not currently evidence that dolphins manifest the behavioral changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease in humans, the presence of similar changes in the brains of older dolphins and humans can provide important insights into how to protect long-term brain health,” shared Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson, the paper’s lead author and Co-CEO of Seraphina Therapeutics. “This includes newly discovered activities of C15:0 that can protect our cognitive function.”
As a veterinary epidemiologist, Venn-Watson was helping to continually improve the health of Navy dolphins when she and her team found numerous parallels between aging dolphins and humans. Specifically, about 1 in 3 older dolphins developed aging-associated conditions that are precursors to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in humans.
In 2015, using an advanced technology called metabolomics, the team studied thousands of small molecules present in Navy dolphins’ archived serum and all-fish diets and found that higher levels of C15:0 (pentadecanoic acid) predicted the healthiest aging dolphins. Since that initial discovery, over 100 peer-reviewed papers have been published on how C15:0 supports healthy aging in humans, including its emerging role as the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in over 90 years. This groundbreaking work is the topic of the recently released Simon & Schuster book, The Longevity Nutrient, authored by Venn-Watson.
The latest study, funded by the Office of Naval Research, explored C15:0’s potential to directly benefit brain health using a third-party panel that screens for neuroprotective molecules. As shared in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, C15:0 had two dose-dependent activities shown in animal models to decrease amyloid-ꞵ plaques, neuroinflammation and improve cognitive health. Specifically, C15:0 inhibited fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and inhibited monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B).
FAAH inhibitors help to extend the efficacy of natural molecules in our body (called endocannabinoids) that support not only cognitive health, but healthy immune responses, healthy sleep, less pain and calmer moods. MAO-B inhibitors help to maintain healthy dopamine levels in the brain, which in addition to protecting brain health, have also been shown to support calm moods, better sleep, and extend the lifespan of both rats and dogs. Due to the many anti-aging benefits of MAO-B inhibitors, these molecules have been proposed as a means to slow biological aging and protect against age-related cognitive decline.
These newly discovered activities of C15:0 are consistent with a prior human study showing that, among people with type 2 diabetes, those with higher C15:0 had better overall cognitive performance scores, including better memory. Numerous large studies have also shown that people with higher C15:0 levels have a lower risk of having or developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease.
“Understanding that type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease are closely linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease,” shared Venn-Watson, “there is an urgent need to further understand how C15:0, as an essential nutrient, can support not only our long-term metabolic, liver and heart health, but our brain health, too. Thanks to helping older dolphins, we have this latest wonderful discovery.”
About Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc.
Seraphina Therapeutics, Inc. is a health and wellness company dedicated to advancing global health through the discovery of essential fatty acids and micronutrient therapeutics. Through rigorous breakthrough science, the company develops fatty acid supplements, food fortifiers, and nutritional interventions to strengthen cells, keep mitochondria working and advance cellular homeostasis to counter age-related breakdown. With its team of industry-leading scientists, Seraphina Therapeutics challenges long-held approaches to nutrition, enabling the creation of novel health products designed to support quality of life. For more information, please visit DiscoverC15.com and fatty15.com.
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SOURCE Seraphina Therapeutics
