Sex-Specific Differences In Plasma Lipid Profiles Are Associated With Gulf War Illness

Abstract Background: Nearly 250,000 veterans from the 1990-1991 Gulf War have Gulf War Illness (GWI), a condition with heterogeneous pathobiology that remains difficult to diagnose. As such, availability of blood biomarkers that reflect the underlying biology of GWI will help clinicians provide appropriate care to ill veterans. In this study, we measured blood lipids to examine the influence of sex on the association between blood lipids and GWI diagnosis. Methods: Plasma lipid extracts from GWI (n=100) and control (n = 45) participants were subjected to reversed-phase nano-flow liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Results: An influence of sex and GWI case status on plasma neutral lipid and phospholipid species was observed. Among male participants, triglycerides, diglycerides, and phosphatidylcholines were increased while cholesterol esters were decreased in GWI compared to controls. In female participants, ceramides were increased in GWI cases compared to controls. Among male participants, unsaturated triglycerides, phosphatidylcholine and diglycerides were increased while unsaturated cholesterol esters were lower in GWI cases compared to controls. The ratio of arachidonic acid- to docosahexaenoic acid-containing triglyceride species was increased in female and male GWI cases as compared to their sex-matched controls. Conclusion: Differential modulation of neutral lipids and ratios of arachidonic acid to docosahexaenoic acid in male veterans with GWI suggest metabolic dysfunction and inflammation. Increases in ceramides among female veterans with GWI also suggest activation of inflammatory pathways. Future research should characterize how these lipids and their associated pathways relate to GWI pathology to identify biomarkers of the disorder.

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Acute Hypercapnia/Ischemia Alters the Esterification of Arachidonic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid Epoxide Metabolites in Rat Brain Neutral Lipids

Lipids ◽

10.1002/lipd.12197 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (1) ◽

pp. 7-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yurika Otoki ◽

Adam H. Metherel ◽

Theresa Pedersen ◽

Jun Yang ◽

Bruce D. Hammock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Arachidonic Acid ◽

Docosahexaenoic Acid ◽

Rat Brain ◽

Neutral Lipids

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PROTECTION FROM ARACHIDONIC ACID-INDUCED SUDDEN DEATH BY INJECTION OF TRIDOCOSAHEXAENOYL-GLYCEROL EMULSION INTO RABBITS

10.1055/s-0038-1643394 ◽

1987 ◽

Author(s):

M URAKAZE ◽

T HAMAZAKI ◽

S SAWAZAKI ◽

K YAMAZAKI ◽

M FUJIKAWA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Arachidonic Acid ◽

Docosahexaenoic Acid ◽

Sudden Death ◽

Eicosapentaenoic Acid ◽

Blood Lipids ◽

Total Phospholipid ◽

Phospholipid Fraction ◽

Erythrocyte Membranes ◽

Before And After

An injectable emulsion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was prepared. One hundred ml of the emulsion contained 3g of 93%-pure 1,2,3-tridocosahexaenoy1-glycerol (DHA-TG), 1.2g of 93%-pure 2-docosahexaenoyl-phosphatidylcholine as an emulsifier and 2.5g of glycerol. Thirty ml of the emulsion of DHA-TG was injected into rabbits on days 1 and 4 of the study. Blood was taken on day 0, on day 4 just before the second injection, and on day 7. The percent of DHA in the total phospholipid fraction of platelets was increased from 0.46% (day 0) to 1.88% (day 4, p<0.05) and 3.66% (day 7; p<0.02 vs day 0); that of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was increased from 0.46% (day 0) to 1.03% (day 4, p<0.02) and 1.63% (day 7; p< 0.05 vs day 0); that of arachidonic acid (AA) was decreased from 9.45% (day 0) to 4.31% (day 4, p<0.05) and 6.68% (day 7; p<0.02 vs day 0). The percent of DHA in the total phospholipid fraction of erythrocyte membranes was increased from 0.23% (day 0) to 0.91% (day 4, p<0.05) and 1.52% (day 7; p<0.005 vs day 0); that of EPA was increased from 0.21% (day 0) to 0.34% (day 4, p<0.005) and 0.52% (day 7, p<0.01 vs day 0); that of AA was unchanged at all. Blood lipids were the same before and after the two injections of the emulsion, except that free fatty acids decreased markedly from 0.32 to 0.06 mEq/1 (p<0.02). On day 8, free AA (2 mg/Kg) was injected into ear veins of the treated three rabbits and also into those of four control rabbits, which were not treated with DHA-TG. All the control rabbits died a few minutes after the AA injection but none of DHA-treated rabbits died after AA injection (p<0.01). An emulsion of DHA-TG may be useful for patients having immediate risk of thrombosis or for those who need DHA but cannot take it orally.

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