Characterization of Molecular Species and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Purified Phospholipids from Antarctic Krill Oil.

Li Zhou,Rong Huang,Xing Wu,Fu Yang,Minghao Zhang,Jikai Liu

doi:10.3390/md19030124

Abstract

The phospholipids (PLs) from Antarctic krill oil were purified (>97.2%) using adsorption column chromatography. Forty-nine PL molecular species were characterized by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS). Most of molecular species contained eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5), and arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4). Notably, a special species PC (20:5/22:6) (1298.17 nmol/g) and many ether PLs were detected. The Antarctic krill PL liposome (IC50 = 0.108 mg/mL) showed better anti-inflammatory activity than crude Antarctic krill oil (IC50 = 0.446 mg/mL). It could block NF-κB signaling pathway via suppression of IκB-α degradation and p65 activation and dose-dependently reduce the cellular content of inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, it can suppress carrageenan-induced mouse paw swelling. Results from the present study could provide a reference for better evaluation of nutritional and medicinal values of Antarctic krill oil.

Highlights

Inflammatory response is a defense mechanism that evolved in higher organisms to protect them from pathogens and injury, whereby the tissue is repaired, or the pathogenic insult is eliminated
The Antarctic krill PL was purified from crude oil by column chromatography, and the purity (>97.2%) was checked by HPLC-ELSD
All the characteristics fragments required for the structural elucidation of Antarctic krill PL can be collected under negative electrospray ionization mode

Summary

Introduction

Inflammatory response is a defense mechanism that evolved in higher organisms to protect them from pathogens and injury, whereby the tissue is repaired, or the pathogenic insult is eliminated. When the regulatory mechanisms of the inflammatory response are defective, prolonged and excessive inflammation may give rise to chronic illnesses, for instance, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease [1]. The most known lipid mediators implicated in inflammatory physiological responses are the eicosanoids and platelet-activating factor. Those related pathways have been considered as promising targets in respect to dietary interventions, especially foods containing bioactive phospholipids (PLs) [2]. Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory activity of marine PLs polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) include altered cell-membrane PL fatty-acid composition, inhibition of activation of the proinflammatory transcription factor, and activation of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ and binding to the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR120 [6]

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