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

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of escharectomy during shock stage on plasma lipid and free fatty acid levels in scalded rats.

METHODSThirty-two adult Wistar rats inflicted with 30% TBSA III degree scalding were employed as the model and were divided into normal control (NC), scalding control (SC) and treatment groups (T), and the latter was further divided into three sub groups according to the time of escharectomy, i.e. 8 postburn hour (PBHs) (T8), 24 PBHs (T24) and 96 PBHs (T96) groups. The rats were sacrificed at 168 PBHs. The postburn changes in the rat plasma lipid and free fatty acid levels were determined.

RESULTS1) There was significant increase in serum triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHO), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), apolipoprotein A (ApoA), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and all the free fatty acids (FFAs) in the total serum FFAs excluding myristic acid (P < 0.05) at 168 PBHs in rats of all the T groups. 2) The serum levels of TG, CHO, ApoB, total FFA, lauric acid, palmitic acid, zoomaric acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid in T8 and T24 groups were evidently lower than those in SC group (P < 0.05). The plasma levels of VLDL, stearic acid and arachidonic acid in T8 were obviously lower than those in SC group (P < 0.05); 3) In T96 group, the serum levels of ApoB and lauric acid were significantly lower than those in SC group (P < 0.05), but all the other indices remained higher than those before injury.

CONCLUSIONThere was enhanced fat mobilization after severe burn injury. Escharectomy during shock stage might decrease fat mobilization, which was beneficial to the restoration of normal lipid metabolism.

Animals ; Burns ; blood ; surgery ; Fatty Acids ; blood ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Shock, Traumatic ; blood ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo explore the intervention effect of Qushi Huayu Decoction (QHD) on high-fat diet induced hepatic lipid deposition and its dose-effect relationship in rats.

METHODSFatty liver model of rats were established simply by 10 weeks of high-fat diet feeding, and starting from the 7th week of modeling, they were gastric perfused respectively with saline (model group), high-dose QHD (QHDh group), low-dose QHD (QHDI group) and polyene phosphatidylcholine (PP group) for successive 4 weeks. Liver pathology by electron microscope observation with HE staining and oil red staining; contents of triglyceride (TG) and free fatty acid (FFA) in liver tissue; and serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), and TG in rats were determined.

RESULTSIn the model group, the significant hepatic steatosis and vesicle changes as well as severe accumulation of middle- and micro-sized fatty drops in the hepatocyte plasma were found under electron microscope; with TG and FFA contents in liver tissue elevated to 3.2 and 3.5 multiples of those in normal group respectively, but, the difference between them in serum levels of ALT, AST, TG and TC were not significant. Above-mentioned pathological changes in the QHDh, QHDI and PP groups were all ameliorated significantly with the hepatic TG decreased to 57.55%, 72.32% and 71.07%, and FFA decreased to 48.95%, 65.67%, 55.57% of those in model group respectively, especially the effect of QHDh in reducing TG was superior to that of QHDI and PP (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONQHD shows an evident fatty liver antagonizing effect in rats induced by high-fat diet in a dose-dependent manner.

Animals ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; blood ; Fatty Liver ; blood ; drug therapy ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; blood

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of duck extract on lipids. Rats in the experimental group were orally administered with duck extract for four weeks. The half of the supplementation was composed of duck meat and the other of the supplementation was composed of oriental herbs. Weight gain, diet intake, and food efficiency ratio were compared between control and experimental groups. Organ weight, lengths of small/large intestines, and the following plasma biochemical parameters were also measured: hemoglobin, hemoglobin, GOT, GPT, blood glucose concentration, lipids of plasma, liver, feces. Spleen index (weight/100 g body weight) of the rats in the experimental group was significantly higher than those in the control group due to increase in fat intake from the supplementation of duck meat. The large intestines of the rats in the experimental group was significantly larger due to the supplementation with dietary fiber derived from herbs in the extract. There were significant higher levels of plasma hematocrit, GOT, total cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol in the rats of the experimental group. From the results, although duck meat is a source of animal food, the fat profile of duck extract, such as the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids appears to be beneficial to human health. These findings suggest a possible anti-hyperlipidemic effect of duck extract.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Dietary Fiber ; Ducks* ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Feces ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Intestines ; Liver ; Meat ; Organ Size ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Spleen ; Weight Gain

Hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. It has been demonstrated that chronic exposure to high glucose impaired endothelial functions. However, specific effects of short-term exposure to high glucose on vascular reactivity are controversial. Moreover, the combined effects of other metabolic substrates such as free fatty acids (FFA) on vascular reactivity remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the effects of short-term exposure to high glucose with or without other metabolic substrates including FFAs termed “nutrition full” (NF) solution, on mesenteric (MA) and deep femoral arteries (DFA) of rats. Arterial ring segments were mounted in a double-wire myograph. Contraction in response to phenylephrine (PhE) was determined in control (5 mM) and high glucose (23 mM, HG) environments over a 30 min period. In both arteries, PhE-inducedvasocontraction was enhanced by pre-incubation of HG solution. A combined incubation with HG and palmitic acid (100 µM) induced similar sensitization of PhE-contractions in both arteries. In contrast, high K⁺-induced contractions were not affected by HG. Interestingly, pre-incubation with NF solution decreased PhE-induced contraction in MA but increased the contraction in DFA. In NF solution, the HG-induced facilitation of PhE-contraction was not observed in MA. Furthermore, the PhE-induced contraction of DFA was attenuated by HG in NF solution. Our results demonstrate that the sensitization of PhE-induced arterial contraction by HG is differentially affected by other metabolic substrates. The conversation of skeletal arterial contractility by HG in NF solution requires careful interpretation of the previous in vitro studies where only glucose is included in physiological salt solutions. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism underlying the inconsistent effect of NF solution on MA and DFA.
Animals ; Arteries ; Blood Vessels ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Fatty Acids ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; Femoral Artery* ; Glucose* ; Hyperglycemia ; In Vitro Techniques ; Isometric Contraction ; Palmitic Acid ; Phenylephrine ; Rats*

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential fatty acids because humans cannot synthesize them de novo and must obtain them in their diet. Fish and fish oil are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Significant evidence of the beneficial role of dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids in blood flow has been reported and putative mechanisms for improvement of blood flow include anti-thrombotic effects, lowered blood pressure, improved endothelial function, and anti-atherogenic effects. Edible oils containing omega-3 fatty acids were registered as functional ingredients in the Korea Health Functional Food Code. Although omega-3 fatty acids have been evaluated by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) based on scientific evidence, periodic re-evaluation may be needed because emerging data related to omega-3 fatty acids have accumulated. Therefore, in this study, we re-evaluated scientific evidence for the effect of omega-3 fatty acids as a functional ingredient in health functional food on improvement of blood flow. A comprehensive literature search was conducted for collection of relevant human studies using the Medline and Cochrane, KISS, and IBIDS databases for the years 1955-2012. Search keywords were used by combination of terms related to omega-3 fatty acids and blood flow. The search was limited to human studies published in Korean, English, and Japanese. Using the KFDA's evidence based evaluation system for scientific evaluation of health claims, 112 human studies were identified and reviewed in order to evaluate the strength of the evidence supporting a relation between omega-3 fatty acids and blood flow. Among 112 studies, significant effects on improvement of blood flow were reported in 84 studies and the daily intake amount was ranged from 0.1 to 15 g. According to this methodology of systematic review, we concluded that there was possible evidence to support a relation between omega-3 fatty acid intake and blood flow. However, because inconsistent results have recently been reported, future studies should be monitored.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Pressure ; Diet ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; Fatty Acids, Essential ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated ; Functional Food ; Humans ; Korea ; Oils ; United States Food and Drug Administration

Ecological studies have indicated that the essential fatty acids in maternal and umbilical cord blood samples are associated with gestational length and birth weight. The objectives of this study were to examine serum fatty acid concentration, particularly omega3 fatty acids, in maternal and umbilical cord blood and to investigate the relationship of serum fatty acid levels in the blood of the mother and of the umbilical cord. Subjects consisted of 30 full-term and 30 pre-term mothers and neonates of both groups. Serum levels of fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography. The concentration of total saturated fatty acids in pre-term pregnant women was significantly higher than that of the full-term group (p<0.05), however, the maternal level of omega3 fatty acids in the pre-term group was significantly lower than that of the full-term pregnant women (p<0.05), Moreover, the concentrations of alpha-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in full-term pregnant women were significantly higher than those of the pre-term group. In umbilical cord blood, the levels of total omega3 fatty acid and arachidonic acid were significantly lower in the pre-term group than in the full-term group (p<0.05). Based on the coefficient of correlation between serum fatty acids in the mother and the umbilical cord, it turned out that in the full-term group, the newborn's umbilical cord serum fatty acids were not influenced by the levels of serum fatty acids in the mother. However, in the pre-term group, it seems to have positive correlations in terms of the levels of SFA, MUFA, PUFA and alpha-linolenic acid. This study suggests that a lower status of omega3 fatty acids in maternal and umbilical cord blood probably is a risk factor for pre-term birth.
alpha-Linolenic Acid ; Arachidonic Acid ; Birth Weight ; Chromatography, Gas ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; Fatty Acids* ; Fatty Acids, Essential ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mothers* ; Parturition ; Pregnant Women ; Risk Factors ; Umbilical Cord*

Pancreatic islets are responsible for blood glucose homeostasis. Reduced numbers of functional (insulin-secreting) beta-cells in pancreatic islets underlies diabetes. Restoration of the secretion of the proper amount of insulin is a goal. Beta-cell mass is increased by neogenesis, proliferation and cell hypertrophy, and is decreased by beta-cell death primarily through apoptosis. Many hormones and nutrients affect beta-cell mass, and glucose and free fatty acid are thought to be the most important determinants of beta-cell equilibrium. A number of molecular pathways have been implicated in beta-cell mass regulation and have been studied. This review will focus on the role of the principle metabolites, glucose and free fatty acid, and the downstream signaling pathways regulating beta-cell mass by these metabolites.
Apoptosis ; Blood Glucose ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified* ; Glucose* ; Homeostasis ; Hypertrophy ; Insulin ; Islets of Langerhans

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationships between erythrocyte membrane n-6:n-3 PUFAs ratio and blood lipids and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).

METHODSThe observational study consisted of a population-based cross-sectional study of 456 Chinese and a subsequent 1-year follow-up study of 171 subjects with the fasting plasma total cholesterol of 5.13-8.00 mmol/L.

RESULTSIn the cross-sectional analysis, plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) had a significant and negative association with the erythrocyte membrane n-6:n-3 PUFAs ratio (P for trend=0.019) after adjusting for sex, age and total PUFA percentage. In the follow-up study, 171 subjects were categorized into quartiles by the changes of n-6:n-3 ratio in erythrocyte membrane (Δ=month 12-month 0). In the top quartile whose ratios of n-6:n-3 increased by an average of 1.25 during the follow-up, the LDL-c-lowering extent was 3.3 times of that in the lowest quartile whose ratios of n-6:n-3 decreased by an average of 1.13 (-1.07 mmol/L v.s. -0.32 mmol/L). The hsCRP decreased by 0.11 mg/dL in the lowest quartile while increasing by 0.10 mg/dL in the top quartile (P for difference=0.052).

CONCLUSIONOur results suggested that the balance between n-6 and n-3 fatty acids may optimize the cardiovascular benefits from dietary PUFAs.

C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Erythrocyte Membrane ; metabolism ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; blood ; Fatty Acids, Omega-6 ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Triglycerides ; blood

X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) shows a wide range of phenotypic expression, but clinical presentation as an isolated lesion of the cerebellar white matter and dentate nuclei has not been reported. We report an unusual presentation of X-ALD only with an isolated lesion of the cerebellar white matter and dentate nuclei. The proband, a 37-year-old man presented with bladder incontinence, slurred speech, dysmetria in all limbs, difficulties in balancing, and gait ataxia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed an isolated signal change of white matter around the dentate nucleus in cerebellum. With high level of very long chain fatty acid, gene study showed a de novo mutation in exon 1 at nucleotide position c.277_296dup20 (p.Ala100Cysfs*10) of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette D1 gene. It is advised to consider X-ALD as a differential diagnosis in patients with isolated cerebellar degeneration symptoms.
ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters/*genetics ; Adrenoleukodystrophy/blood/*genetics ; Adult ; Cerebellar Diseases/blood/*genetics ; Fatty Acids/blood ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation