Fatty acid beta-oxidation is essential for seedling establishment of oilseed plants, but little is known about its role in leaf metabolism of adult plants. Arabidopsis thaliana plants with loss-of-function mutations in the peroxisomal ABC-transporter1 (PXA1) or the core beta-oxidation enzyme keto-acyl-thiolase 2 (KAT2) have impaired peroxisomal beta-oxidation. pxa1 and kat2 plants developed sev...

Mice were fed a diet deficient in alpha-linolenic acid [18:3 (n-3)] or a control diet and the effect of this deficiency was assessed by behavioral and pharmacological measurements. Three weeks before mating female mice were fed a diet containing either peanut oil poor in alpha-linolenic acid (n-3)- or peanut+rapeseed oil rich in alpha-linolenic acid (n-3)+ = controls. Pups, aged 47 to 61 days, ...

The fatty acid composition of lymphocytes, and other immune cells, is altered according to the fatty acid composition of the diet and this alters the capacity of those cells to produce eicosanoids, such as prostaglandin E2, which are involved in immune-regulation. A high fat diet can impair lymphocyte function. Cell culture and animal feeding studies indicate that oleic, linoleic, conjugated li...

Changes in fatty acid profile of woman, cow and sow colostrum and milk fat during lactation were investigated. Colostrum samples were taken 2 times: a few hours postpartum and then 2–3 days postpartum. Also, milk samples were collected 2 times. The first collection from each 3 investigated species took place in 2 week of lactation and the second collection – in 4, 6 and 3 month of lactation fro...

Trans polyunsaturated fatty acids are formed during heat treatments of vegetable oils from polyunsaturated fatty acids containing cis double bonds. After dietary intake, they are distributed in the body and are incorporated into nervous tissues including the retina. Since nervous tissues are known to be rich in n-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), we studied the ability of the re...

We investigated the effects of purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on vascular endothelial function and free fatty acid composition in Japanese hyperlipidemic subjects. In subjects with hyperlipidemia (total cholesterol ≥220 mg/dL and/or triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL), lipid profile and forearm blood flow (FBF) during reactive hyperemia were determined before and 3 months after supplementation with...

Heating oils and fats may lead to cyclization of polyunsaturated fatty acids, as for example linolenic acid. Cyclohexenyl and cyclopentenyl fatty acids are subsequently present in some edible oils and these are suspected to induce metabolic disorders. In a previous experiment using [1-14C] labeled molecules, we published that these cyclic fatty acids are beta oxidized to the same extent as lino...

Sugarcane molasses is rich in nutriments and vitamins. It may be used as the carbon source for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) by Mucor recurvus sp. Using sugarcane molasses, the effects of fermentation parameters and media components on polyunsaturated fatty acid production through both linear and orthogonal array experiments were investigated. The best fermentation condit...

The moss Physcomitrella patens contains high levels of arachidonic acid and lesser amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid. Here we report the identification and characterization of a delta5-desaturase from P. patens that is associated with the synthesis of these fatty acids. A full-length cDNA for this desaturase was identified by data base searches based on homology to sequences of known delta5-desa...

1. Five groups of juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) which had been given a diet free of fat for 12 weeks were given diets in which the lipid component (g/kg) was: oleic acid alone 50, oleic acid 40+linoleic acid 10, oleic acid 40+linolenic acid 10, oleic acid40+arachidonic acid 10 or oleic acid 40+cod-liver oil 10. These five experimental diets were given for 16 weeks. 2. Weight gains were...