Potential diagnostic value of the umbilical artery as a definition of neural fatty acid status of the fetus during its growth: the umbilical artery as a diagnostic tool

1990 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 761-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. CRAWFORD ◽  
K. COSTELOE ◽  
W. DOYLE ◽  
M. J. LEIGHFIELD ◽  
E. A. LENNON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Umbilical Artery ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Mead Acid ◽  
Ethanolamine Phosphoglycerides ◽  
The Brain

Summary Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with handicaps, the most prevelant of which affect the brain or its sensory attributes and have a life long impact. We have therefore been interested in nutrition and fetal growth and have studied the relationship between maternal diet and the outcome of pregnancy. Essential fatty acids are methylene-interrupted, polyenoic fatty acids that are required for cell membrane structure, integrity and function. Some 60% of the structural material of the brain and nervous system is lipid and it uses 20- and 22-carbon-chain-length polyenoic acids specifically in sites of signal transduction and high activity (Fig. 1). We have been interested in the acquisition of these fatty acids during fetal growth and along with deficits of several nutrients found low intakes of essential fatty acids (EFA) in the mothers of LBW babies. In order to test this food intake data we have analysed the lipids of the umbilical artery as representative of fetal tissue. We found surprisingly high proportions of the n − 9 eicosatrienoic acid (20:3, n − 9) and docosatrienoic acid (22:3, n − 9). The 20:3, n − 9 is known as the Mead acid and is recognized as a biochemical index of EFA deficiency [1,2]. The 20:3, n − 9/2:4, n − 6 ratio has been used as a biochemical test of general EFA deficiency and the 22:5, n − 6/ 22:4, n − 6 ratio as a marker of docosahexaenoic or n − 3 deficiency. Both ratios were unusually high. Further analysis of 14 babies of different birth weights produced highly significant Pearson correlation coefficients between birth weights and head circumferences, and these two indices, which were negative, and greater in the ethanolamine phosphoglycerides than in the choline phosphoglycerides of the umbilical artery. The ethanolamine phosphoglycerides are inner membrane lipids and therefore the presence of the Mead acid and high levels of 22:5, n − 6 are statements about the biochemical history of the individual fetus. These indices may therefore have a diagnostic value as a measure of the nutritional status of the fetus during its growth. Because they describe the status of fatty acids specifically used for neural tissue growth, this diagnostic tool has a potential, which needs now to be tested, for assessing risk of neural deficits or damage in, for example, LBW and premature infants.

Essential fatty acids and serine as plasmalogen precursors in relation to competing metabolic pathways

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 475-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold W. Cook ◽  
Susan E. Thomas ◽  
Zhaolin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Vascular Tissue ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Ether Lipid ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Peroxisomal Disorders ◽  
Ethanolamine Phosphoglycerides ◽  
Acyl Chains ◽  
Cellular Water ◽  
Soluble Components

Interest in altered ether-lipid metabolism, associated with peroxisomal disorders including adrenoleukodystrophy and Zellweger's syndrome, has highlighted present limitations in our understanding of the biosynthesis and turnover of plasmalogens. These 1-alkenyl ethanolamine phosphoglycerides are major phospholipids in brain, vascular tissue, neutrophils, and most tumors, and they constitute 15–20% of total phospholipids in cultured glioma cells. In glioma, turnover of polyunsaturated acyl chains in the sn-2 position of plasmalogens was examined in relation to selectivity for the (n–3) and (n–6) families. Remodeling of acyl chains was more dependent on chain length than on selectivity between families, consistent with plasmalogens enriched in polyunsaturated, but not specifically (n–3), fatty acids. Extracellular serine was a precursor of serine and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides and was associated with plasmalogens due to decarboxylation and headgroup exchange. Incorporation of extracellular serine ceased within 8 h, even though more than 50% of the label remained in the medium. Analyses of medium and cellular water-soluble components indicated rapid conversion of serine to glycine and other metabolites not used in phospholipid biosynthesis. Thus, nutrient molecules as precursors of plasmalogens are involved in complex competitive interactions. As functions of plasmalogens are clarified, regulation of plasmalogen turnover becomes an increasingly important issue and elucidation of these processes is essential.Key words: plasmalogen, serine, fatty acids, glioma.

P.56 Maternal essential fatty acids supplementationdiminishes the severity of fetal growth restriction in the rat

1998 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 44-45
Author(s):  
F. Scopesi ◽  
P. Fiore ◽  
E Ognio ◽  
G. Gazzolo ◽  
P.L. Bruschettini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fetal Growth ◽  
Fetal Growth Restriction ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Growth Restriction

scholarly journals Omega – 3 fatty acids in schizophrenia – part I: importance in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 198-213
Author(s):  
Joanna Róg ◽  
Hanna Karakuła-Juchnowicz
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Metabolic Complications ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
David Horrobin ◽  
The Brain

AbstractDespite the increasing offer of antipsychotic drugs, the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy in schizophrenia is still unsatisfactory. Drug resistance, lack of complete remission and the increasing risk of metabolic complications are the reasons why the new forms of therapy in schizophrenia among which unsaturated essential fatty acids omega 3 (EFAs ω-3) affecting the proper functioning of nervous system, are mentioned, are being looked for.Fatty acids represent 50-60% of the dry weight of the brain and diet is one of the factors that influence the value of each of the fat fractions in the neuron membranes. Patients with schizophrenia tend to have irregular nutritional status concerning essential fatty acids ω-3, which might result from metabolic disorders or irregular consumption of fatty acids.Apart from being a review of the literature on this subject, this very paper characterizes essential fatty acids ω-3, their metabolism, the most important sources in the diet and the opinions of experts in the field about the recommended intake. It pays attention to the role of essential fatty acids in both the structure and functioning of the central nervous system is, as well as their role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, with particular emphasis on the membrane concept by David Horrobin. The assessment of the errors in consumption and metabolism of essential fatty acids are described as well.The evidence was found both in epidemiological and modeling studies. It supports the participation of EFAs in etiopathogenesis and pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Further research is needed, both observational and interventional, as to the role of essential fatty acids ω-3 in the functioning of the CNS as well as the development and course of schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Essential fatty acids and the brain: possible health implications

2000 ◽  
Vol 18 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 383-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuresh A. Youdim ◽  
Antonio Martin ◽  
James A. Joseph
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Health Implications ◽  
The Brain

Essential fatty acids and the brain: From infancy to aging

2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Yehuda ◽  
S. Rabinovitz ◽  
D.I. Mostofsky
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
The Brain

Criteria for essential fatty acid deficiency in plasma as assessed by capillary column gas-liquid chromatography.

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1869-1873 ◽  
Author(s):  
E N Siguel ◽  
K M Chee ◽  
J X Gong ◽  
E J Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Capillary Column ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Vaccenic Acid ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Gas Liquid Chromatography ◽  
Mead Acid ◽  
Total Fatty Acids

Abstract To develop criteria for deficiency of essential fatty acids (EFA), we used capillary-column gas-liquid chromatography to determine fatty acids (percentage of total fatty acids) in plasma obtained in the fasting state from 56 reference subjects and from 10 patients with intestinal fat malabsorption and suspected EFA deficiency. Fatty acid evaluations (percentage of total fatty acids) that allowed for a clear distinction (P less than 0.01) between reference subjects and patients, based on values two standard deviations below or above the reference mean, included values for linoleic acid (18:2w6) below 27%, and values for palmitic acid (16:0), palmitoleic acid (16:1w7), oleic acid (18:1w9), vaccenic acid (18:1w7), and Mead acid (20:3w9) exceeding 21%, 2.6%, 23.3%, 2.1%, and 0.21%, respectively. Ratios of total EFA to total non-EFA of less than 0.60 and of Mead acid to arachidonic acid of greater than 0.025 also served to identify patients, and were not found in reference subjects. Significant inverse correlations between percentages of plasma EFA and plasma mono-unsaturated fatty acids were noted. Our reference-interval data can be used to assess normality of plasma EFA status.

scholarly journals The effect of a low-fat maternal diet on neonatal rats

1973 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Sinclair ◽  
M. A. Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Maternal Diet ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Dietary Lipids ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Low Fat ◽  
Milk Fatty Acids ◽  
Brain Lipids ◽  
Control Value ◽  
The Brain

1. Rats were raised on a low-fat diet containing 6 g fat/kg. Females of the second generation were bred and only 11% of their pups survived to weaning age compared with a 66% survival for control pups. Pups were killed 8–12 h after birth and their tissues were analysed.2. Pups in the low-fat group had smaller body, brain and liver weights than control pups; the lipid contents of body, brain and liver were also significantly less.3. In the liver triglycerides from the control group the C20 and C22 polyenoic fatty acids constituted 33% of the total fatty acids. The liver triglyceride concentration in the low-fat group was lower and the concentration of the long-chain polyenoic fatty acids in this fraction was 20% of the control value. The milk fatty acids from the low-fat group contained only 33% as much of the C18 to C22 polyenoic fatty acids compared with the control group.4. In the brain lipids from the low-fat group, changes in the fatty acid composition were less marked than in the liver lipids. In these experiments there were only small amounts of 20:3ω9 in the tissue lipids; the ratio to 20:4ω6 was less than 1.5. These changes are discussed in relation to the influence of dietary lipids on tissue growth especially of lipid-rich tissues such as the brain.

Phosphorylation of Elovl5 changes its substrate preference to synthesize Mead acid in response to essential fatty acid deficiency

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Hayashi ◽  
Misato Yamano ◽  
Nozomu Kono ◽  
Hiroyuki Arai ◽  
Yoko Fujiwara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Glycogen Synthase ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Enzyme Level ◽  
Sufficient Conditions ◽  
Substrate Preference ◽  
Mead Acid ◽  
Fatty Acid Elongase

ABSTRACTPolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the n-6 and n-3 series cannot be synthesized in mammals and therefore are called essential fatty acids (EFAs). Mead acid (20:3n-9) is an unusual n-9 PUFA, endogenously synthesized from oleic acid (18:1n-9) in an EFA-deficient state. Although Elovl5, a fatty acid elongase, has long been known to selectively elongate C18 and C20 PUFAs, it can use 18:1n-9 as a substrate for the synthesis of Mead acid under C20 PUFA-deficient, but not-sufficient, conditions. We found, by an in vitro enzyme assay, that the microsomal fraction obtained from PUFA-deficient, but not -sufficient, cells showed significant Elovl5 activity toward 18:1n-9, with no effect on its constitutive activity toward 18:3n-6, implying that Elovl5 acquires the activity toward 18:1n-9 under the PUFA-deficient conditions at the enzyme level. Further biochemical analysis revealed that Elovl5 was phosphorylated in the C20 PUFA-supplemented cells, and that treatment with an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) completely abolished the phosphorylation of Elovl5 and retained the Elovl5 activity toward 18:1n-9, even in the presence of C20 PUFA. Finally, mutation of putative phosphorylation sites (T281A/S283A/S285A) on Elovl5 did not decrease the activity of Elovl5 toward 18:1n-9 by supplementation with C20 PUFA, suggesting that the phosphorylation of Elovl5 contributed to a change in substrate preference. Thus, by changing its substrate specificity in an EFA-deficient state, Elovl5 is able to regulate the synthesis of Mead acid to maintain levels of long-chain PUFAs.

scholarly journals Essential fatty acids: theoretical aspects and treatment implications for schizophrenia and depression

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm Peet
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Psychotropic Drugs ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Neurotransmitter Receptors ◽  
Chance Discovery ◽  
Psychotropic Agents ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Brain

Almost all current research into developing new pharmacological treatment for depression and schizophrenia is focused directly on modulating neurotransmitter receptors in the brain. This approach was stimulated by the chance discovery of the prototype psychotropic drugs such as chlorpromazine and imipramine and the subsequent development of hypotheses based on the presumed mode of action of these drugs. Even clozapine was first introduced as yet another dopamine receptor blocker, and it was only after it was recognised that clozapine shows improved efficacy that hypotheses were developed as to its possible mode of action. Subsequent research based on the receptor approach has led to improved side-effect profiles for modern psychotropic agents, but has not resulted in any improvement of efficacy over and above that of the drugs discovered by good fortune rather than by hypotheses.

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