Understanding the cholesterol metabolism-perturbing effects of docosahexaenoic acid by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry targeted metabonomic profiling

Does the ratio of eicosapentaenoic acid to docosahexaenoic acid matter in cancer treatment? A systematic review of their effects on cachexia-related inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of cancer cachexia. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs): eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are known to contribute to the reduction of inflammation, preservation of lean body mass and total body weight, and reduction of cancer-related symptoms, such as anorexia or neuropathy. This systematic review aimed to assess whether the ratio of EPA to DHA used in supplementation in cancer patients matters in the context of the resolution of inflammation and reduction of the risk of cachexia. The analysis included 20 randomized clinical trials with acceptable quality identified from the Pubmed/MEDLINE database. The significant results concerning the resolution of inflammation or improvement in nutritional status were the highest in the case of a low EPA/DHA ratio, i.e., 67%, and decreased, reaching 50% and 36% for the moderate and high ratios, respectively. Most results concerning body weight from high and moderate EPA/DHA ratios showed no benefit or were insignificant. A significant benefit in reducing any reported inflammatory markers was seen in the low EPA/DHA ratio subgroup at 63%, in the moderate at 29%, and in the high ratio subgroup at 11%. The greatest benefit in CRP reduction was obtained by patients during chemotherapy. The review questions the anticachectic and anti-inflammatory effect of ω-3 PUFAs supplementation with doses of EPA higher than DHA. A population that particularly benefits from ω-3 PUFAs supplementation are patients undergoing chemotherapy for advanced cancer.

The supplementation of a high dose of fish oil during pregnancy and lactation led to an elevation in Mfsd2a expression without any changes in docosahexaenoic acid levels in the retina of healthy 2-month-old mouse offspring

Introduction

During fetal development, the proper development of neural and visual systems relies on the maternal supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids through placental transfer. Pregnant women are strongly advised to augment their diet with additional sources of omega-3, such as fish oil (FO). This supplementation has been linked to a reduced risk of preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, and perinatal depression. Recently, higher doses of omega-3 supplementation have been recommended for pregnant women. Considering that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play a crucial role in maintaining the delicate homeostasis required for the proper functioning of the retina and photoreceptors the effects of high-dose fish oil (FO) supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on the retina and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) in healthy offspring warrant better understanding.

Methods

The fatty acid content and the changes in the expression of the genes regulating cholesterol homeostasis and DHA transport in the retina and RPE were evaluated following the high-dose FO supplementation.

Results

Our study demonstrated that despite the high-dose FO treatment during pregnancy and lactation, the rigorous DHA homeostasis in the retina and RPE of the two-month-old offspring remained balanced. Another significant finding of this study is the increase in the expression levels of major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein (Mfsd2a), a primary DHA transporter. Mfsd2a also serves as a major regulator of transcytosis during development, and a reduction in Mfsd2a levels poses a major risk for the development of leaky blood vessels.

Conclusion

Impairment of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) is associated with the development of numerous ocular diseases, and a better understanding of how to manipulate transcytosis in the BRB during development can enhance drug delivery through the BRB or contribute to the repair of central nervous system (CNS) barriers.

Supranutrition of microalgal docosahexaenoic acid and calcidiol improved growth performance, tissue lipid profiles, and tibia characteristics of broiler chickens

BACKGROUND

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and calcidiol could be enriched in chicken for improving public nutrition and health. It remains unclear if supranutritional levels of DHA and calcidiol impair growth performance or metabolism of broiler chickens. This study was to determine singular and combined effects of high levels of supplemental DHA-rich microalgal biomass or oil and calcidiol on growth performance, concentrations of triglycerides, cholesterol, and nonesterfied fatty acids in plasma, liver, breast, and thigh, and biophysical properties of tibia.

METHODS

In Exp. 1, 144 day-old Cornish chicks were divided into 4 groups (6 cages/treatment, 6 birds/cage), and were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet (BD), BD + 10,000 IU calcidiol/kg (BD + Cal), BD + 1% DHA-rich Aurantiochytrium (1.2 g DHA/kg; BD + DHA), and BD + Cal + DHA for 6 weeks. In Exp. 2, 180 day-old chicks were divided into 5 groups, and were fed: BD, BD + DHA (0.33% to 0.66% oil, 1.5 to 3.0 g DHA/kg), BD + DHA + EPA (1.9% to 3.8% eicosapentaenoic acid-rich Nannochloropsis sp. CO18, 0.3 to 0.6 g EPA/kg), BD + DHA + calcidiol (6000 to 12,000 IU/kg diet), and BD + DHA + EPA + Cal for 6 weeks.

RESULTS

Birds fed BD + Cal diet in Exp. 1 and BD + DHA + EPA diet in Exp. 2 had higher (P < 0.05) body weight gain (10%-11%) and gain:feed ratio (7%), and lower (P < 0.05) total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in plasma (18%-54%), liver (8%-26%), breast (19%-26%), and thigh (10%-19%), respectively, over the controls. The two diets also improved (P < 0.05) tibial breaking strength (8%-24%), total bone volume (2%-13%), and (or) bone mineral density (3%-19%) of chickens.

CONCLUSION

Supranutrition of dietary calcidiol and DHA alone or together did not produce adverse effects, but led to moderate improvements of growth performance, lipid profiles of plasma and muscle, and bone properties of broiler chickens.

A review of the mechanisms underlying selected comorbidities in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) leading to mental deterioration and devastation, and eventually a fatal outcome. AD affects mostly the elderly. AD is frequently accompanied by hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus, and these are significant risk factors of AD. Other conditions triggered by the progression of AD include psychosis, sleep disorders, epilepsy, and depression. One important comorbidity is Down’s syndrome, which directly contributes to the severity and rapid progression of AD. The development of new therapeutic strategies for AD includes the repurposing of drugs currently used for the treatment of comorbidities. A better understanding of the influence of comorbidities on the pathogenesis of AD, and the medications used in its treatment, might allow better control of disease progression, and more effective pharmacotherapy.

Evidence of a DHA Signature in the Lipidome and Metabolome of Human Hepatocytes

Cell supplementation with bioactive molecules often causes a perturbation in the whole intracellular environment. Omics techniques can be applied for the assessment of this perturbation. In this study, the overall effect of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation on cultured human hepatocyte lipidome and metabolome has been investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in combination with traditional techniques. The effect of two additional bioactives sharing with DHA the lipid-lowering effect—propionic acid (PRO) and protocatechuic acid (PCA)—has also been evaluated in the context of possible synergism. NMR analysis of the cell lipid extracts showed that DHA supplementation, alone or in combination with PCA or PRO, strongly altered the cell lipid profile. The perfect discrimination between cells receiving DHA (alone or in combination) and the other cells reinforced the idea of a global rearrangement of the lipid environment induced by DHA. Notably, gas chromatography and fluorimetric analyses confirmed the strong discrimination obtained by NMR. The DHA signature was evidenced not only in the cell lipidome, but also in the metabolome. Results reported herein indicate that NMR, combined with other techniques, represents a fundamental approach to studying the effect of bioactive supplementation, particularly in the case of molecules with a broad spectrum of mechanisms of action.