The aim of this study was to examine the effects of perilla oil as well as several vegetable oils, including flaxseed oil, canola oil, and rice bran oil on plasma levels of cardioprotective (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids in mice by feeding each vegetable oil for a period of eight weeks. Concentrations of docosapentaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), fish-based (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids, showed an increase in the plasma of mice fed perilla and flaxseed oils compared to those of mice in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas rice bran and canola oils did not alter plasma DPA and EPA concentrations. Arachidonic acid concentration was increased by feeding rice bran oil (P < 0.05), but not canola, flaxseed, or perilla oil. In addition, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid concentrations were altered by feeding dietary rice bran, canola, perilla, and flaxseed oils. Findings of this study showed that perilla oil, similar to flaxseed oil, is cardioprotective and could be used as an alternative to fish oil or even flaxseed oil in animal models.
alpha-Linolenic Acid ; Animals ; Arachidonic Acid ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Flax ; Linoleic Acid ; Linseed Oil ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Oils ; Oleic Acid ; Perilla ; Plant Oils ; Plasma ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND: To investigate the effect of manganese on lipid peroxidation and compositional changes of fatty acids in hippocampus of rat brain. METHODS: Seven rats in experimental group were given with MnCl2 intraperitoneally for 4 weeks (4 mg/kg once daily, 5 days per week). Twenty four hours after the last injection, rats were decapitated and, hippocampus were separated from the rat brain. RESULT: In Mn-treated group, manganese concentrations increased significantly in the hippocampus by 222% compared with control group (P<0.01). MDA concentrations increased significantly by 149% compared with control group (P<0.05). Among fatty acids, total n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) increased significantly by 237% compared with control group (P<0.05). Linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acids (AA) increased by 213%, 238% (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). Among n-3 PUFAs except linolenic acids, eicosapentanoic acid(EPA) and docosahexanoic acids (DHA) decreased significantly by 70%, 50% respectively compared with control group (both P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that manganese may cause compositional changes of fatty acids in hippocampus of rat brain. Characteristics of fatty acids compositional changes by manganese were the decrease of EPAs and DHAs (n-3 PUFAs), and increase of AA and LA (n-6 PUFAs). These changes with the increase of MDA, suggest that manganese neurotoxicity is caused by lipid peroxidation.
alpha-Linolenic Acid ; Animals ; Arachidonic Acid ; Arachidonic Acids ; Brain* ; Fatty Acids* ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Hippocampus* ; Linoleic Acid ; Linolenic Acids ; Lipid Peroxidation* ; Malondialdehyde ; Manganese* ; Rats*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Adequate dietary fatty acid intake is important for toddlers between 12–24 months of age, as this is a period of dietary transition in conjunction with rapid growth and development; however, actual fatty acid intake during this period seldom has been explored. This study was conducted to assess the intake status of n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids by toddlers during the 12–24-month period using 2010–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Twenty-four-hour dietary recall data of 12–24-month-old toddlers (n = 544) was used to estimate the intakes of α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n-3), linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n-6), and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n-6), as well as the major dietary sources of each. The results were compared with the expected intake for exclusively breastfed infants in the first 6 months of life and available dietary recommendations. RESULTS: Mean daily intakes of ALA, EPA, DHA, LA, and AA were 529.9, 22.4, 37.0, 3907.6, and 20.0 mg/day, respectively. Dietary intakes of these fatty acids fell below the expected intake for 0–5-month-old exclusively breastfed infants. In particular, DHA and AA intakes were 4 to 5 times lower. The dietary assessment indicated that the mean intake of essential fatty acids ALA and LA was below the European and the FAO/WHO dietary recommendations, particularly for DHA, which was approximately 30% and 14–16% lower, respectively. The key sources of the essential fatty acids, DHA, and AA were soy (28.2%), fish (97.3%), and animals (53.7%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the prevailing view of DHA and AA requirements on early brain development, there remains considerable room for improvement in their intakes in the diets of Korean toddlers. Further studies are warranted to explore how increasing dietary intakes of DHA and AA could benefit brain development during infancy and early childhood.
Animals ; Arachidonic Acid ; Brain ; Diet ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Essential ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Linoleic Acid ; Nutrition Surveys

Studies have reported different changes in the fatty acid composition of red blood cell (RBC) total lipids in patients with various types of cancer. It has been indicated that n-3/n-6 ratio plays a key role in the general consequence of skin photocarcinogenesis. However, to our knowledge there was no study examining the unsaturated fatty acid profile in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) patients. So, we explore the fatty acid composition of RBCs in newly diagnosed BCC patients in a hospital-based case-control study. This study has been conducted on new case BCC patients in Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Fatty acid concentration in erythrocyte membranes defined as relative values after extraction, purification and preparation, by gas chromatography.Analysis revealed that heptadecenoic acid (p = 0.010) and oleic acid (p < 0.001) was significantly higher in BCC patients in comparison with control group. Among polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), linoleic acid (LA), and arachidonic acid (AA) were significantly higher in BCC patients (p < 0.001). It has been indicated that n-3 was significantly lower (p = 0.040) and n-6 was significantly higher (p = 0.002) in BCC patients. In addition, total PUFA (p < 0.001) and n-6 PUFAs/n-3 PUFAs (p = 0.002) were significantly higher in BCC patients compared to the control group. Here we indicated that new case BCC patient had significantly higher n-6 PUFA and lower n-3 along with other differences in unsaturated fatty acid in comparison with healthy subjects. Our study provides evidence that lipids are important in BCC development.
Arachidonic Acid ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Case-Control Studies ; Erythrocyte Membrane ; Erythrocytes ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Iran ; Linoleic Acid ; Oleic Acid ; Skin

We employed the whole-cell patch clamp technique to investigate the effects of arachidonic acid (AA) on barium inward current through the L-type calcium channels (IBa) and on osmotic stretch-induced increase of IBa in guinea-pig antral gastric myocytes. Under isosmotic condition, AA inhibited IBa in a dose-dependent manner to 91.1 +/- 1.4, 72.0 +/- 3.2, 46.0 +/- 1.8, and 20.3 +/- 2.3% at 1, 5, 10, 30 mM, respectively. The inhibitory effect of AA was not affected by 10 micrometer indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. Other unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid (LA) and oleic acid (OA) were also found to suppress IBa but stearic acid (SA), a saturated fatty acid, had no inhibitory effect on IBa. The potency sequence of these inhibitory effects was AA (79.7 +/- 2.3%) > LA (43.1 +/- 2.7%) > OA (14.2 +/- 1.1%) at 30 mM. On superfusing the myocyte with hyposmotic solution (214 mOsm) the amplitude of IBa at 0 mV increased (38.0 +/- 5.5%); this increase was completely blocked by pretreatment with 30 mM AA, but not significantly inhibited by lower concentrations of AA (1, 5 and 10 micrometer) (P > 0.05). Unsaturated fatty acids shifted the steady-state inactivation curves of IBa to the left; the extent of shift caused by AA was greater than that caused by LA. The activation curve was not affected by AA or LA. The results suggest that AA and other unsaturated fatty acids directly modulate L-type calcium channels and AA might modulate the hyposmotic stretch-induced increase of L-type calcium channel current in guinea-pig gastric smooth muscle.
Arachidonic Acid* ; Barium ; Calcium Channels* ; Calcium Channels, L-Type ; Calcium* ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Indomethacin ; Linoleic Acid ; Muscle Cells* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Oleic Acid ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases

DHA, one of w-3 fatty acids, modulates cell growth or death though the changes of apoptotic signaling in human endothelial ECV304 cells. We investigated the effects of DHA on the changes of apoptotic signaling in human vascular endothelial ECV304 cells using lipid peroxidation (LPO) metabolites. LPO could be originated by dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA caused cell death of ECV304 cells compared to LA, AA or control as evidenced by changes in cell morphology and MTT assay. LPO levels was significantly elevated by 10 fold in DHA-treated ECV 304 cells and caspase-3 activity was increased by DHA corresponding to increasing incubation times compared to control. One of reasons of the cell death in DHA-treated ECV304 cells could be expected that caspase activity, marker for mitochondrial damages, might be triggered by the increasing LPO levels. Our results strongly indicated that DHA induced LPO production has an important role on apoptotic signaling pathway in ECV304 cells. LPO production in endothelial cells which was metabolized by oxidation of dietary PUFA, might be one of risk factors in the initial progression of atherosclerosis.
Apoptosis* ; Arachidonic Acid ; Atherosclerosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Endothelial Cells ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Humans* ; Linoleic Acid ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Risk Factors

Free fatty acid (FFA) intake regulates blood pressure and vascular reactivity but its direct effect on contractility of systemic arteries is not well understood. We investigated the effects of saturated fatty acid (SFA, palmitic acid), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA, linoleic acid), and monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA, oleic acid) on the contractility of isolated mesenteric (MA) and deep femoral arteries (DFA) of Sprague–Dawley rats. Isolated MA and DFA were mounted on a dual wire myograph and phenylephrine (PhE, 1–10 µM) concentration-dependent contraction was obtained with or without FFAs. Incubation with 100 µM of palmitic acid significantly increased PhE-induced contraction in both arteries. In MA, treatment with 100 µM of linoleic acid decreased 1 µM PhE-induced contraction while increasing the response to higher PhE concentrations. In DFA, linoleic acid slightly decreased PhE-induced contraction while 200 µM oleic acid significantly decreased it. In MA, oleic acid reduced contraction at low PhE concentration (1 and 2 µM) while increasing it at 10 µM PhE. Perplexingly, depolarization by 40 mM KCl-induced contraction of MA was commonly enhanced by the three fatty acids. The 40 mM KCl-contraction of DFA was also augmented by linoleic and oleic acids while not affected by palmitic acid. SFA persistently increased alpha-adrenergic contraction of systemic arteries whereas PUFA and MUFA attenuated PhE-induced contraction of skeletal arteries. PUFA and MUFA concentration-dependent dual effects on MA suggest differential mechanisms depending on the types of arteries. Further studies are needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms of the various effects of FFA on systemic arteries.
Animals ; Arteries ; Blood Pressure ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Femoral Artery ; Linoleic Acid ; Mesenteric Arteries ; Oleic Acid ; Oleic Acids ; Palmitic Acid ; Phenylephrine ; Rats ; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha ; Vasoconstriction

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of prostaglandin analogues on the corneal thickness of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or normal tension glaucoma (NTG). METHODS: This study included 130 eyes of 65 patients who were diagnosed with POAG or NTG. All patients were divided into two groups; one group received prostaglandin analogues, while the other group received alternative ocular hypotensive eyedrops. Corneal thickness, best corrected visual acuity, and flare in the anterior chamber were measured and compared before treatment and at least 24 months (mean: 27 months) after treatment. RESULTS: The mean decrease in corneal thickness was statistically significant in the group using prostaglandin analogues, but not in the control group. Among the various prostaglandin analogues used, travoprost and latanoprost decreased mean corneal thickness, but bimatoprost had no effect. Best corrected visual acuity, refraction power, and flare in the anterior chamber did not change significantly in either group of patients when ocular hypotensive eyedrops were used. CONCLUSIONS: Prostaglandin analogues lower intraocular pressure and decrease corneal thickness if used over a 24 months.
Amides ; Anterior Chamber ; Cloprostenol ; Eye ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Low Tension Glaucoma ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Prostaglandins F, Synthetic ; Prostaglandins, Synthetic ; Visual Acuity ; Bimatoprost ; Travoprost

Three long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (ARA, 20:4n-6), are the most biologically active polyunsaturated fatty acids in the body. They are important in developing and maintaining the brain function, and in preventing and treating many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, inflammation and cancer. Although mammals can biosynthesize these long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, the efficiency is very low and dietary intake is needed to meet the requirement. In this study, a multiple-genes expression vector carrying mammalian A6/A5 fatty acid desaturases and multiple-genes expression vector carrying mammalian Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid desaturases and Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid elongases coding genes was used to transfect HEK293T cells, then the overexpression of the target genes was detected. GC-MS analysis shows that the biosynthesis efficiency and level of DHA, EPA and ARA were significantly increased in cells transfected with the multiple-genes expression vector. Particularly, DHA level in these cells was 2.5 times higher than in the control cells. This study indicates mammal possess a certain mechanism for suppression of high level of biosynthesis of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the overexpression of Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid desaturases and Δ6/Δ5 fatty acid elongases broke this suppression mechanism so that the level of DHA, EPA and ARA was significantly increased. This study also provides a basis for potential applications of this gene construct in transgenic animal to produce high level of these long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid.
Acetyltransferases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Arachidonic Acid ; biosynthesis ; Docosahexaenoic Acids ; biosynthesis ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; biosynthesis ; Fatty Acid Desaturases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fatty Acid Synthases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; biosynthesis ; Genetic Vectors ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Transfection

Medicinal mushrooms, including Cordyceps militaris, have received attention in Korea because of their biological activities. In the fruiting body and in corpus of C. militaris, the total free amino acid content was 69.32 mg/g and 14.03 mg/g, respectively. In the fruiting body, the most abundant amino acids were lysine, glutamic acid, proline and threonine. The fruiting body was rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which comprised about 70% of the total fatty acids. The most abundant unsaturated acid was linoleic acid. There were differences in adenosine and cordycepin contents between the fruiting body and the corpus. The adenosine concentration was 0.18% in the fruiting body and 0.06% in the corpus, and the cordycepin concentration was 0.97% in the fruiting body and 0.36% in the corpus.
Adenosine ; Agaricales ; Amino Acids ; Cordyceps ; Deoxyadenosines ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Fruit ; Glutamic Acid ; Korea ; Linoleic Acid ; Lysine ; Proline ; Threonine