Abstract
Obesity is often accompanied by metabolic and haemodynamic disorders such as hypertension, even during childhood. Arachidonic acid (AA) is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) and 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), vasoactive and natriuretic metabolites that contribute to blood pressure (BP) regulation. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may compete with AA for CYP450-dependent bioactive lipid mediator formation. We aimed at investigating the role of AA, EPA and DHA and their CYP450-dependent metabolites in BP control and vascular function in 66 overweight/obese children. Fatty acid profile moderately correlated with the corresponding CYP450-derived metabolites but their levels did not differ between children with normal BP (NBP) and high BP (HBP), except for higher EPA-derived epoxyeicosatetraenoic acids (EEQs) and their diols in HBP group, in which also the estimated CYP450-epoxygenase activity was higher. In the HBP group, EPA inversely correlated with BP, EEQs inversely correlated both with systolic BP and carotid Intima-Media Thickness (cIMT). The DHA-derived epoxydocosapentaenoic acids (EDPs) were inversely correlated with diastolic BP. Omega-3 derived epoxymetabolites appeared beneficially associated with BP and vascular structure/function only in obese children with HBP. Further investigations are needed to clarify the role of omega-3/omega-6 epoxymetabolites in children’s hemodynamics.
Highlights
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has been increasing in the last few decades worldwide
On the basis of Ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM), we divided the population in two subgroups: high blood pressure (HBP)
Our main hypothesis was that several polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mainly assumed by the diet, could affect hemodynamics and in particular blood pressure, through the formation of specific PUFA-derived lipid mediators generated via the cytochrome P450 (CYP450)-epoxygenase/soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) pathway
Summary
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has been increasing in the last few decades worldwide. Several trials and meta-analyses indicated a possible beneficial effect of omega-3 PUFA supplementation on BP control, the effect is modest, and the results of the studies are not always consistent [5,8,9]. Omega-3 PUFA may improve vascular function, that is, arterial stiffness and endothelial function, as supported by some studies and meta-analysis [10,11,12], suggesting a possible, at least partial, BP lowering effect of omega-3 PUFA. In the same study population, that omega-6 PUFA and in particular AA are inversely associated with several features of the metabolic syndrome in a sample of obese children, suggesting their possible protective role [13]
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