Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Toxic Actions of trans-Fatty Acids and Prevention of Related Diseases

Abstract

trans-Fatty acids (TFAs), including elaidic acid and linoelaidic acid, are unsaturated fatty acids that contain one or more carbon-carbon double bonds in trans configuration. TFAs are not synthesized in the human body, but are taken into the body from various foods, which are mainly produced during industrial food manufacturing. Recent epidemiological studies have revealed that TFA consumption is a major risk factor for various disorders, such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, allergic diseases, and dementia. However, the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of TFA-related disorders and the specific molecular targets evoking TFA toxicity are largely unknown. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which TFAs cause the cytotoxicity, we focused on cell death and inflammation, which are the main and common pathogenesis of the TFA-related diseases, and analyzed the effects of TFAs on cellular responses to various stimulations inducing cell death and inflammation. This review provides recent progress in our studies on the molecular mechanisms causing toxic actions of TFAs, which lead to diverse TFA-related disorders.