Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Inflammatory Processes

By P. Calder. Nutrients, 2010

994 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Long chain fatty acids influence inflammation through a variety of mechanisms; many of these are mediated by, or at least associated with, changes in fatty acid composition of cell membranes. Changes in these compositions can modify membrane fluidity, cell signaling leading to altered gene expression, and the pattern of lipid mediator production. Cell involved in the inflammatory response are typically rich in the n-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, but the contents of arachidonic acid and of the n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can be altered through oral administration of EPA and DHA. Eicosanoids produced from arachidonic acid have roles in inflammation. EPA also gives rise to eicosanoids and these often have differing properties from those of arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids. EPA and DHA give rise to newly discovered resolvins which are anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving. Increased membrane content of EPA and DHA (and decreased arachidonic acid content) results in a changed pattern of production of eicosanoids and resolvins. Changing the fatty acid composition of cells involved in the inflammatory response also affects production of peptide mediators of inflammation (adhesion molecules, cytokines etc.). Thus, the fatty acid composition of cells involved in the inflammatory response influences their function; the contents of arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA appear to be especially important. The anti-inflammatory effects of marine n-3 PUFAs suggest that they may be useful as therapeutic agents in disorders with an inflammatory component.

Subfields: Biochemistry, Nutrition and Dietetics, Surgery

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/079fbebe9aee481f08a387c78d5429bacb6c327a

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Citations in the corpus

• Strengthening the Immune System and Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress through Diet and Nutrition: Considerations during the COVID-19 Crisis (2020, background): “In particular, omega-3 FAs appear to have the most potent anti-inflammatory capability, though not all omega-3 FAs are anti-inflammatory [18].”
• Effects of irradiance, temperature, nutrients, and pCO2 on the growth and biochemical composition of cultivated Ulva fenestrata (2020, background): “Hence, the irradiance should be kept low to both increase the total fatty acid content and the relative abundance of C18:3, a precursor to the more long-chained n-3 PUFA EPA and DHA, which are associated with a variety of health benefits (Calder 2010; Maehre et al. 2015).”