Abstract
The nasal mucosa (NM) contains olfactory mucosa which contributes to the detection of odorant molecules and the transmission of olfactory information to the brain. To date, the lipid composition of the human NM has not been adequately characterized. Using gas chromatography, liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and thin layer chromatography, we analyzed the fatty acids and the phospholipid and ceramide molecular species in adult human nasal and blood biopsies. Saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) accounted for 45% and 29% of the nasal total fatty acids, respectively. Fatty acids of the n-6 family were predominant in the PUFA subgroup. Linoleic acid and arachidonic acid (AA) were incorporated in the main nasal phospholipid classes. Correlation analysis revealed that the nasal AA level might be positively associated with olfactory deficiency. In addition, a strong positive association between the AA levels in the NM and in plasma cholesteryl esters suggested that this blood fraction might be used as an indicator of the nasal AA level. The most abundant species of ceramides and their glycosylated derivatives detected in NM contained palmitic acid and long-chain fatty acids. Overall, this study provides new insight into lipid species that potentially contribute to the maintenance of NM homeostasis and demonstrates that circulating biomarkers might be used to predict nasal fatty acid content.
Highlights
The nasal mucosa (NM) contains olfactory mucosa which contributes to the detection of odorant molecules and the transmission of olfactory information to the brain
Equivalent levels of monounsaturated fatty acid (FA) (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were detected in human NM (~ 22% and ~ 29% of total FAs, respectively)
Oleic acid (18:1n-9) was the main MUFA identified in this tissue (~ 16% of total FAs). n-6 PUFAs accounted for ca. 88% of total PUFAs
Summary
The nasal mucosa (NM) contains olfactory mucosa which contributes to the detection of odorant molecules and the transmission of olfactory information to the brain. The canonical pathway of signal transduction in mammalian OSNs consists of variable components, the olfactory receptors (ORs), and constant components, such as G olf heterotrimeric G-proteins, adenylyl cyclase 3, and cyclic nucleotide-gated cation c hannels[4,5]. These key components are localized in the plasma membrane of OSN cilia that float in the mucus. The proximity between receptors and peripheral proteins is often necessary for cellular signal transduction[6,7] Membrane lipids facilitate these interactions and are essential for many cellular activities.
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