Cell Membrane Fatty Acid Research Articles

Effects of coadministration of DHA and vitamin E on spermatogram, seminal oxidative stress, and sperm phospholipids in asthenozoospermic men: a randomized controlled trial

It is unknown which compounds in spermatozoa or seminal plasma may be involved in the regulation of sperm motility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of DHA (22:6n-3), vitamin E, and their probable interactions in men with asthenozoospermia. A factorial, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in infertility clinics in Tehran, Iran. The participants were idiopathic asthenozoospermic men aged 20-45 y, with normal endocrine function. Their concentration of spermatozoa and percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa were equal to or above the lower reference limits, according to the fifth edition of the WHO guideline. Out of 717 men referred to the infertility clinics, 180 asthenozoospermic men were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups according to stratified blocked randomization by age and sperm concentration. Participants took daily 465 mg DHA plus 600 IU vitamin E (DE), 465 mg DHA plus placebo (DP), 600 IU vitamin E plus placebo (EP), or both placebo capsules (PP) for 12 wk. Sperm characteristics, oxidative stress of seminal plasma, serum and sperm membrane fatty acids, dietary intakes, anthropometric measurements, and physical activity were measured at baseline and after 12 wk. After the intervention, mean±SD sperm progressive motility was greater in the DE group (27.9±2.8) than in the DP (25.7±3.4), EP (26.1±2.8), and PP (25.8±2.6) groups (P<0.05). Sperm count (P=0.001) and concentration (P=0.044) increased significantly in the DE group compared with the other 3 groups, whereas other semen parameters were not significantly different between the groups after the intervention. Serum concentrations of n-3 PUFAs were significantly higher in the DE and DP groups than in the EP and PP groups. Combined DHA and vitamin E supplements led to increased sperm motility; however, no significant changes occurred in sperm morphology and vitality in asthenozoospermic men.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01846325.

Effects of co-administration of rapamycin and evening primrose/hemp seed oil supplement on immunologic factors and cell membrane fatty acids in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

The immune response is influenced by the administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are affected by PUFA. The combination of evening primrose/hemp seed oil (EPO/HSO) has essential fatty acids (EFAs) for human optimal health due to the favorable ratio of omega-6/omega-3 and antioxidantal properties. The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of EPO/HSO on improving the membrane fatty acids composition of spleen and blood cells and immunologic factors in compared to rapamycin (RAPA) in the EAE model. Chronic-EAE was induced by induction of MOG in C57BL/6J mice (female, age: 6-8weeks, weight 18-21). Mice were assigned to 5 groups (6/group) to evaluate the therapeutic effects of EPO/HSO supplement in comparison with rapamycin: A group; EPO/HSO+RAPA, B group; RAPA, C group; EPO/HSO. Results were compared to two control groups (EAE and naive). The fatty acid profile of the spleen and blood cell membrane was evaluated. Real-time-polymerase chain reaction was used for the evaluate the genes expression levels of interleukin (IL) -4, IL-5, and IL-13 in lymphocytes. Also, IL-4 of serum was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our findings indicated that EPO/HSO therapy significantly increased the percentage of essential fatty acids in cell membrane of the spleen and blood. The relative expression of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 genes inlymphocytes and serum level of IL-4 was significantly increased in the HSO/EPO treated group versus other groups. These results point to potential therapeutic effects on the repair of the structure of cell membranes and suppression of inflammation by EPO/HSO in EAE.

Overweight and erythrocyte polyunsaturated fatty acid changes in menopause

Abstract Lipid disorders have been implicated in overweight and menopause. However, evidence on lipidomic analysis of fatty acids in erythrocytes of menopausal women is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the body mass index within or beyond 5 years of menopause and erythrocyte fatty acid profile. This case-control study was conducted on out of 37 menopausal women total patients, 22 with body mass index ≥ 25 and 12 matched controls (body mass index &lt;25). Experimental procedures were performed on the blood through robotic equipment for isolation of erythrocyte and cell membrane fatty acids were analyzed by using gas-liquid chromatography. Results showed that erythrocyte membranes did not change significantly in lipid composition between case and control group. However, the percentage of women who had a physiological content of saturated fatty acids was lower in case than in control group, and the percentage of women who had a physiological content of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids was lower in control than in case group. Woman with BMI&gt;25 and non-physiological content of fatty acids, were richer in percentage of saturated fatty acids and poorer of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids than women with BMI&lt;25. The percentage of physiological n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated ratio was lower in women with BMI&gt;25 than in women with BMI&lt;25. Interestingly, the percentage of patients that had physiological values of lipids beyond 5 years of menopause increased in comparison patients within 5 years of menopause. Notably, n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids physiological ratio beyond 5 years of menopause increased in both case and control patients, indicating normalization over time. In conclusion erythrocytes fatty acids composition may be related to the body mass index and to the time from menopause.

Genetic study of the Arctic CPT1A variant suggests that its effect on fatty acid levels is modulated by traditional Inuit diet.

Several recent studies have found signs of recent selection on the carnitine palmitoyl-transferase 1A (CPT1A) gene in the ancestors of Arctic populations likely as a result of their traditional diet. CPT1A is involved in fatty acid transportation and is known to affect circulating fatty acid profiles in Inuit as does the unique traditional diet rich in marine animals. We aimed to assess which fatty acids may have driven the selection of rs80356779, a c.1436C>T (p.(Pro479Leu)) variant in CPT1A, by analyzing a potential interaction between the variant and traditional Inuit diet. We included 3005 genome-wide genotyped individuals living in Greenland, who had blood cell membrane fatty acid levels measured. Consumption of 25 traditional food items was expressed as percentage of total energy intake. We tested for CPT1A × traditional diet interaction while taking relatedness and admixture into account. Increasing intakes of traditional diet was estimated to attenuate the effect of 479L on 20:3 omega-6 levels (p = 0.000399), but increase the effect of the variant on 22:5 omega-3 levels (p = 0.000963). The 479L effect on 22:5 omega-3 more than doubled in individuals with a high intake of traditional diet (90% percentile) compared with individuals with a low intake (10% percentile). Similar results were found when assessing interactions with marine foods. Our results suggest that the association between traditional diet and blood cell fatty acid composition is affected by the CPT1A genotype, or other variants in linkage disequilibrium, and support the hypothesis that omega-3 fatty acids may have been important for adaptation to the Arctic diet.

Changes in Cell Membrane Fatty Acid Composition of Streptococcus thermophilus in Response to Gradually Increasing Heat Temperature.

In this study, a method of heat adaptation was implemented in an attempt to increase the upper thermal threshold of two Streptococcus thermophilus found in South Korea and identified the alterations in membrane fatty acid composition to adaptive response to heat. In order to develop heat tolerant lactic acid bacteria, heat treatment was continuously applied to bacteria by increasing temperature from 60°C until the point that no surviving cell was detected. Our results indicated significant increase in heat tolerance of heat-adapted strains compared to the wild type (WT) strains. In particular, the survival ratio of basically low heat-tolerant strain increased even more. In addition, the strains with improved heat tolerance acquired cross protection, which improved their survival ratio in acid, bile salts and osmotic conditions. A relation between heat tolerance and membrane fatty acid composition was identified. As a result of heat adaptation, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (UFA/SFA) and C18:1 relative concentration were decreased. C6:0 in only heatadapted strains and C22:0 in only the naturally high heat tolerant strain were detected. These results support the hypothesis, that the consequent increase of SFA ratio is a cellular response to environmental stresses such as high temperatures, and it is able to protect the cells from acid, bile salts and osmotic conditions via cross protection. This study demonstrated that the increase in heat tolerance can be utilized as a mean to improve bacterial tolerance against various environmental stresses.

Impact of Fatty-Acid Labeling of Bacillus subtilis Membranes on the Cellular Lipidome and Proteome.

Developing cultivation methods that yield chemically and isotopically defined fatty acid (FA) compositions within bacterial cytoplasmic membranes establishes an in vivo experimental platform to study membrane biophysics and cell membrane regulation using novel approaches. Yet before fully realizing the potential of this method, it is prudent to understand the systemic changes in cells induced by the labeling procedure itself. In this work, analysis of cellular membrane compositions was paired with proteomics to assess how the proteome changes in response to the directed incorporation of exogenous FAs into the membrane of Bacillus subtilis. Key findings from this analysis include an alteration in lipid headgroup distribution, with an increase in phosphatidylglycerol lipids and decrease in phosphatidylethanolamine lipids, possibly providing a fluidizing effect on the cell membrane in response to the induced change in membrane composition. Changes in the abundance of enzymes involved in FA biosynthesis and degradation are observed; along with changes in abundance of cell wall enzymes and isoprenoid lipid production. The observed changes may influence membrane organization, and indeed the well-known lipid raft-associated protein flotillin was found to be substantially down-regulated in the labeled cells – as was the actin-like protein MreB. Taken as a whole, this study provides a greater depth of understanding for this important cell membrane experimental platform and presents a number of new connections to be explored in regard to modulating cell membrane FA composition and its effects on lipid headgroup and raft/cytoskeletal associated proteins.

Temperature Driven Membrane Lipid Adaptation in Glacial Psychrophilic Bacteria.

Bacteria inhabiting non-polar glaciers are exposed to large variations in temperature, which significantly affects the fluidity of bacterial cell membranes. In order to maintain normal functions of the cell membranes, psychrophilic bacteria adapt by changing the composition of cell membrane fatty acids. However, information on the exact pattern of cell membrane adaptability in non-polar low-temperature habitats is scarce. In the present study, 42 bacterial strains were isolated from the Ghulmet, Ghulkin, and Hopar glaciers of the Hunza Valley in the Karakoram Mountain Range, Pakistan and their cell membrane fatty acid distributions studied, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) liberated by acid-catalyzed methanolysis. Furthermore, Gram-negative and Gram-positive groups were grown under different temperature settings (5, 15, 25, and 35°C) in order to determine the effect of temperature on cell membrane (CM) fatty acid distribution. The analyses identified the major groups of cell membrane fatty acids (FA) as straight-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (n-MUFAs) and branched fatty acids (br-FAs), accounting for more than 70% of the fatty acids analyzed. The distribution of br-FAs and n-FAs in bacterial cell membranes was significantly affected by temperature, with the level of br-FAs decreasing relative to n-FAs with increasing temperature. Notably, the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) was only seen at lower temperatures. This study contributes to understanding, for the first time, the role of br-FAs in the maintenance of cell membrane fluidity of bacteria inhabiting non-polar habitats.

Salicylic acid treatment suppresses Phomopsis longanae Chi-induced disease development of postharvest longan fruit by modulating membrane lipid metabolism

Salicylic acid (SA) is a crucial endogenous signaling molecule which can activate fruit defense responses to biotic or abiotic stress. The aim of this work was to study the effects of SA on disease occurrence, cell membrane integrity, membrane lipid-degrading enzymes activities, as well as amounts of cell membrane phospholipids and fatty acids in Phomopsis longanae Chi-inoculated longans during storage. The results indicated that, compared with the fruit with mere inoculation, SA treatment reduced fruit disease index and pericarp cell membrane permeability in P. longanae-inoculated longans. Additionally, SA treatment decreased activities of phospholipase D (PLD), phospholipase C (PLC), lipase, and lipoxygenase (LOX), lowered contents of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), phosphatidic acid (PA) and diacylglycerol (DAG), but suppressed the reductions of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs), ratio of USFAs to SFAs (U/S), and index of unsaturated fatty acids (IUFA) in pericarp of P. longanae-inoculated longans. These data demonstrated that SA treatment could retain integrity of membrane structures, enhance fruit disease resistance to P. longanae, and thus suppress disease development in P. longanae-inoculated longans during storage. These results indicated that SA was an eco-friendly approach to inhibit disease development and extend storage-life of harvested longan fruit.

Ablating the Rab-GTPase activating protein TBC1D1 predisposes rats to high-fat diet-induced cardiomyopathy.

Although the role of TBC1D1 within the heart remains unknown, expression of TBC1D1 increases in the left ventricle following an acute infarction, suggesting a biological importance within this tissue. We investigated the mechanistic role of TBC1D1 within the heart, aiming to establish the consequences of attenuating TBC1D1 signalling in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy, as well as to determine potential sex differences. TBC1D1 ablation increased plasma membrane fatty acid binding protein content and myocardial palmitate oxidation. Following high-fat feeding, TBC1D1 ablation dramatically increased fibrosis and induced end-diastolic dysfunction in both male and female rats in the absence of changes in mitochondrial bioenergetics. Altogether, independent of sex, ablating TBC1D1 predisposes the left ventricle to pathological remodelling following high-fat feeding, and suggests TBC1D1 protects against diabetic cardiomyopathy. TBC1D1, a Rab-GTPase activating protein, is involved in the regulation of glucose handling and substrate metabolism within skeletal muscle, and is essential for maintaining pancreatic β-cell mass and insulin secretion. However, the function of TBC1D1 within the heart is largely unknown. Therefore, we examined the role of TBC1D1 in the left ventricle and the functional consequence of ablating TBC1D1 on the susceptibility to high-fat diet-induced abnormalities. Since mutations within TBC1D1 (R125W) display stronger associations with clinical parameters in women, we further examined possible sex differences in the predisposition to diabetic cardiomyopathy. In control-fed animals, TBC1D1 ablation did not alter insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, or echocardiogram parameters, but increased accumulation of a plasma membrane fatty acid transporter and the capacity for palmitate oxidation. When challenged with an 8week high-fat diet, TBC1D1 knockout rats displayed a four-fold increase in fibrosis compared to wild-type animals, and this was associated with diastolic dysfunction, suggesting a predisposition to diet-induced cardiomyopathy. Interestingly, high-fat feeding only induced cardiac hypertrophy in male TBC1D1 knockout animals, implicating a possible sex difference. Mitochondrial respiratory capacity and substrate sensitivity to pyruvate and ADP were not altered by diet or TBC1D1 ablation, nor were markers of oxidative stress, or indices of overt heart failure. Altogether, independent of sex, ablation of TBC1D1 not only increased the susceptibility to high-fat diet-induced diastolic dysfunction and left ventricular fibrosis, independent of sex, but also predisposed male animals to the development of cardiac hypertrophy. These data suggest that TBC1D1 may exert cardioprotective effects in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Long term conjugated linoleic acid supplementation modestly improved growth performance but induced testicular tissue apoptosis and reduced sperm quality in male rabbit.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is known for its multiple benefits including improvement of growth, increasing lean mass, and anti-carcinogenic effects. However, when used in long-term supplementations CLA does not improve semen parameters in boar and bull and reduces fertility in Japanese quails. The content of unsaturated fatty acids in dietary lipids plays a significant role in spermatogenesis owning the high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in plasma membrane of sperms. Whether CLA plays a role in testicular tissue and epididymal fat is still unknown. Therefore, in this study we hypothesize that long-term supplementation of equal proportion of CLA isomer mix (c9,t11-CLA and t10,c12- CLA) in rabbit bucks might alter male reproductive potentials. Twelve V-Line weaned male rabbits were used in 26 weeks trial, rabbits were individually raised and randomly allocated into three dietary groups. Control group (CON) received a basal diet, a group received 0.5% CLA (CLA 0.5%), and a group received 1% CLA (CLA 1%). Rabbits were euthanized at the end of the trial and several parameters were evaluated related to growth, semen quality, and testicular and epididymal tissue histopathology and transcriptome. The long-term supplementation of CLA increased feed intake by 5% and body weight by 2–3%. CLA 1% decreased sperm progressive motility. In testicular tissue L-carnitine and α-tocopherol were decreased by CLA supplementation. In epididymal fat, CLA tended to decrease concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the expression of SCD5 gene was upregulated by CLA 1% and CASP3 gene was upregulated by CLA 0.5%. Transcription of PPARG was downregulated by CLA. Feeding 1% CLA also decreased testicular epithelial thickness. Long-term supplementation of CLA modestly enhanced male rabbit growth, but negatively impacted male reproduction, especially at high dose of CLA.

Tracing the fate of microplastic carbon in the aquatic food web by compound-specific isotope analysis

Increasing abundance of microplastics (MP) in marine and freshwaters is currently one of the greatest environmental concerns. Since plastics are fairly resistant to chemical decomposition, breakdown and reutilization of MP carbon complexes requires microbial activity. Currently, only a few microbial isolates have been shown to degrade MPs, and direct measurements of the fate of the MP carbon are still lacking. We used compound-specific isotope analysis to track the fate of fully labelled 13C-polyethylene (PE) MP carbon across the aquatic microbial-animal interface. Isotopic values of respired CO2 and membrane lipids showed that MP carbon was partly mineralized and partly used for cell growth. Microbial mineralization and assimilation of PE-MP carbon was most active when inoculated microbes were obtained from highly humic waters, which contain recalcitrant substrate sources. Mixotrophic algae (Cryptomonas sp.) and herbivorous zooplankton (Daphnia magna) used microbial mediated PE-MP carbon in their cell membrane fatty acids. Moreover, heteronanoflagellates and mixotrophic algae sequestered MP carbon for synthesizing essential ω-6 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thus, this study demonstrates that aquatic micro-organisms can produce, biochemically upgrade, and trophically transfer nutritionally important biomolecules from PE-MP.

Metabolic adaptability shifts of cell membrane fatty acids of Komagataeibacter hansenii HDM1-3 improve acid stress resistance and survival in acidic environments.

Komagataeibacter hansenii HDM1-3 (K. hansenii HDM1-3) has been widely applied for producing bacterial cellulose (BC). The yield of BC has been frequently limited by the acidification during sugar metabolism, due to the generation of organic acids such as acetic acid. In this study, the acid resistance mechanism of K. hansenii HDM1-3 has been investigated from the aspect of metabolic adaptability of cell membrane fatty acids. Firstly, we observed that the survival rate of K. hansenii HDM1-3 was decreased with lowered pH values (adjusted with acetic acids), accompanied by increased leakage rate. Secondly, the cell membrane adaptability in response to acid stress was evaluated, including the variations of cell membrane fluidity and fatty acid composition. The proportion of unsaturated fatty acids was increased (especially, C18-1w9c and C19-Cyc), unsaturation degree and chain length of fatty acids were also increased. Thirdly, the potential molecular regulation mechanism was further elucidated. Under acid stress, the fatty acid synthesis pathway was involved in the structure and composition variations of fatty acids, which was proved by the activation of both fatty acid dehydrogenase (des) and cyclopropane fatty acid synthase (cfa) genes, as well as the addition of exogenous fatty acids. The fatty acid synthesis of K. hansenii HDM1-3 may be mediated by the activation of two-component sensor signaling pathways in response to the acid stress. The acid resistance mechanism of K. hansenii HDM1-3 adds to our knowledge of the acid stress adaptation, which may facilitate the development of new strategies for improving the industrial performance of this species under acid stress.

Cell membrane fatty acid and pigment composition of the psychrotolerant cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena CHS1 isolated from Hopar glacier, Pakistan.

In the present study, cyanobacterium isolate CHS1 isolated from Hopar glacier, Pakistan, was analyzed for the first time for cell membrane fatty acids and production of pigments. Sequencing of the 16-23S intergenetic region confirmed identification of the isolate CHS1 as Nodularia spumigena. All chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography and experiments to test tolerance against a range of physico-chemical conditions were conducted. Likewise, the fatty acid profile of the cell membrane CHS1 was analyzed using gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The cyanobacteriumisolate CHS1 demonstrated tolerance to 8 g/L% NaCl, 35°C and pH 5-9. The characteristic polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) of isolate CHS1, C18:4, was observed in fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) extracted from the cell membrane. CHS1 was capable of producing saturated fatty acids (SFA) (e.g., C16:0), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) (e.g., C18:1) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g., C20:5) in the cell membrane. In this study, we hypothesize that one mechanism of cold adaptation displayed by isolate CHS1 is the accumulation of high amounts of PUFA in the cell membrane.

Zygosaccharomyces rouxii Combats Salt Stress by Maintaining Cell Membrane Structure and Functionality.

Zygosaccharomyces rouxii is an important yeast that is required in the food fermentation process due to its high salt tolerance. In this study, the responses and resistance strategies of Z. rouxii against salt stress were investigated by performing physiological analysis at membrane level. The results showed that under salt stress, cell integrity was destroyed, and the cell wall was ruptured, which was accompanied by intracellular substance spillover. With an increase of salt concentrations, intracellular Na+ content increased slightly, whereas intracellular K+ content decreased significantly, which caused the increase of the intracellular Na+/K+ ratio. In addition, in response to salt stress, the activity of Na+/K+-ATPase increased from 0.54 to 2.14 μmol/mg protein, and the ergosterol content increased to 2.42-fold to maintain membrane stability. Analysis of cell membrane fluidity and fatty acid composition showed that cell membrane fluidity decreased and unsaturated fatty acid proportions increased, leading to a 101.21% rise in the unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio. The results presented in this study offer guidance in understanding the salt tolerance mechanism of Z. rouxii, and in developing new strategies to increase the industrial utilization of this species under salt stress.

Investigation of the Antibacterial Activity and in vivo Cytotoxicity of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles as Potent Therapeutics.

Biogenic nanoparticles are the smartest weapons to deal with the multidrug-resistant “superbugs” because of their broad-spectrum antibacterial propensity as well as excellent biocompatibility. The aqueous biogenic silver nanoparticles (Aq-bAgNPs) and ethanolic biogenic silver nanoparticles (Et-bAgNPs) were synthesized using aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Andrographis paniculata stem, respectively, as reducing agents. Electron microscopic images confirmed the synthesis of almost spherical shaped biogenic silver nanoparticles (bAgNPs). The zeta potentials of the nanoparticles were negative and were −22 and −26 mV for Aq-bAgNPs and Et-bAgNPs, respectively. The antibacterial activity of bAgNPs was investigated against seven pathogenic (i.e., enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Enterococcus faecalis, Hafnia alvei, Acinetobacter baumannii) and three nonpathogenic (i.e., E. coli DH5α, E. coli K12, and Bacillus subtilis) bacteria at different time points (i.e., 12, 16, 20, and 24 h) in a dose-dependent manner (i.e., 20, 40, and 60 μg) through broth dilution assay, disk diffusion assay, CellToxTM Green uptake assay, and trypan blue dye exclusion assay. The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration value for both the bAgNPs was 0.125 μg. Et-bAgNPs showed the highest antibacterial activity against S. aureus at 60 μg after 16 h and the diameter of inhibited zone was 28 mm. Lipid peroxidation assay using all the bacterial strains revealed the formation of malondialdehyde–thiobarbituric acid adduct due to the oxidation of cell membrane fatty acids by bAgNPs. The bAgNPs showed excellent hemocompatibility against human as well as rat red blood cells. Furthermore, there was no significant toxicity observed when the levels of rat serum ALT, AST, γ-GT (i.e., liver function biomarkers), and creatinine (i.e., kidney function biomarker) were determined.

Solid state synthesis of docosahexaenoic acid-loaded zinc oxide nanoparticles as a potential antidiabetic agent in rats

Our goal in this study is to improve the efficiency of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) toward the enhancement of insulin signaling pathway in vivo via loading with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). To this end, two consecutive steps were undertaken, preparation of ZnO NPs by one-step solid-state reaction in dry conditions and calcinated followed by loading DHA. Both developed nanoparticles, with and without DHA were then characterized by TEM, SEM, EDX, and Zetasizer. For comparison between free and loaded DHA, four groups of rats were prepared to receive different treatments. Group I; healthy rats (reference), group II; diabetes (streptozotocin-induced), group III and group IV are diabetes orally administered with free DHA and DHA-loaded ZnO NPs (10 mg/kg bw/day), respectively. Blood samples were collected and analyzed where the results demonstrated that fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance were significantly increased in diabetic group along with upgrading in oxidative stress parameters emphasizing the oxidative properties of streptozotocin. HPLC analysis of cell membrane fatty acids resulted in the reduction of omega-6 and 9 and elevation of omega-3 after free DHA and DHA-loaded ZnO NPs streptozotocin treatments. DHA-loaded ZnO NPs had high performance in enhancing insulin signaling pathway as expressed in changes of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) levels.

Effects of Exogenous Arachidonic Acid on Morphological Traits and Fatty Acid Profile of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Grown on Saline Soil

Salinity is one of the major constraints in the rice production worldwide. Rice plants have moderate tolerance towards salinity. Salinity changes cell membrane permeability and fatty acid compositions by releasing the free fatty acids. Nonetheless, the effect of exogenous fatty acid such as arachidonic acid (AA) on rice grown on saline soil is yet unknown. The objective of the current study is to determine the effect of AA on the morphological traits and free fatty acids of rice plant grown under saline conditions. Rice plants grown on saline soil (EC=12 ds/m) were treated with 50 mM AA on day 45 after transplant. Leaves and panicles were sampled after two weeks of treatment and analysed for fatty acid profile using GC-MS. The morphological traits were observed at the maturity stage. Results showed that AA treatment improved the grain fill-in of the saline stress rice and reduced the accumulation of free fatty acids in the cell. The AA treatment also increased the linoleic acid (18:2), linolenic acid (18:3) in panicles and, dihomo-y-linolenic acid (20:3) and nervonic acid (24:1) in leaves. The finding suggests that exogenous AA regulates salinity stress in rice by reducing the accumulation of free fatty acids.

Effect of nicotinic acid on the plasma membrane function and polyunsaturated fatty acids composition during cryopreservation in boar sperm.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of nicotinic acid on plasma membrane integrity and fatty acid composition in frozen-thawed boar sperm. Boar semen was cryopreserved using freezing extender containing nicotinic acid (NA), then plasma membrane integrity, osmotic equilibration, lipid peroxidation and fatty acid were analysed. The plasma membrane integrity of frozen-thawed sperm was significantly higher in the 10mM NA than in the 0 and 20mM NA treatment groups (p<0.05). Additionally, the osmotic equilibration ability was not different in treatment groups, but lipid peroxidation was significantly decreased in the 10mM NA treatment group (p<0.05). The saturated fatty acids were significantly decreased in the 10mM NA treatment group, and C18:1n-9, C18:2n-6, C20:4n-6, C22:5n-6 and C22:6n-3, and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were significantly increased in the 10mM NA treatment groups (p<0.05). In summary, 10mM NA improved plasma membrane integrity, inhibited lipid peroxidation and increased PUFAs in frozen-thawed boar sperm. These results suggest that NA may be useful to protect the plasma membrane and inhibit the loss of PUFAs for sperm cryopreservation in pigs.

Mycorrhizas enhance drought tolerance of citrus by altering root fatty acid compositions and their saturation levels.

Arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs) have the ability to enhance drought tolerance of citrus, but the underlying mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. Considering the strong association of cell membrane fatty acid (FA) unsaturation with plant drought tolerance, the present study hypothesized that AM fungi (AMF) modulated the composition and unsaturation of FAs to enhance drought tolerance of host plants. Drought-sensitive citrus rootstocks, trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) seedlings, were inoculated with AMF (Funneliformis mosseae) for 3months and were subsequently exposed to drought stress (DS) for 8weeks. Mycorrhizal seedlings exhibited better plant growth performance, higher leaf water potential and lower root abscisic acid concentrations under both well-watered (WW) and DS conditions. Arbuscular mycorrhiza fungus inoculation considerably increased root methyl oleate (C18:1), methyl linoleate (C18:2) and methyl linolenate (C18:3N3) concentrations under both WW and DS conditions, and root methyl palmitoleate (C16:1) concentrations under WW, while it decreased root methyl stearate (C18:0) levels under both WW and DS. These changes in the composition of FAs of mycorrhized roots resulted in higher unsaturation index of root FAs, which later aided in reducing the oxidative damage on account of lower concentration of malondialdehyde and superoxide radicals. The changes of these FAs were a result of AMF-up-regulating root FA desaturase 2 (PtFAD2), FA desaturase 6 (PtFAD6) and Δ9 FA desaturase (PtΔ9) genes under WW and PtFAD2, PtFAD6 and Δ15 FA desaturase (PtΔ15) genes under DS conditions. Our results confirmed that mycorrhization brought significant changes in root FA compositions, in addition to regulation of gene expression responsible for increasing the unsaturation level of FAs, a predisposing physiological event for better drought tolerance of citrus.

Omega-3 fatty acids and ERPR(-) and HER2/neu(+/-) breast cancer prevention.

TPS1589 Background: The most aggressive breast cancer subtypes tend to be estrogen and progesterone receptor negative (ERPR(-)) and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 positive (HER2(+)). Women with these breast cancer subtypes (triple negative, ERPR(-)HER2(+)) tend to experience worse clinical outcomes and have a relatively higher risk of recurrence. Our previous research demonstrated that dietary omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids can significantly inhibit ERPR(-) HER2(+) tumorigenesis in MMTV-HER2/neu transgenic mice fed fish oil vs corn oil-based diets. The fish oil diet group developed 30% fewer breast tumors, had lower Ki67 expression, and experienced less mammary atypia relative to the corn oil diet group. Other studies involving diet, nutrition and breast cancer point to the potentially protective effect of an anti-inflammatory diet on the risk of developing ER(-) and HER2(+) breast cancer, further supporting the evidence that the ERPR(-), HER2(±) subtypes may be highly responsive to this bioactive nutrient. Methods: This is a double-blinded, randomized clinical trial of high dose (~5.4 g EPA+DHA) vs low dose (~0.9 g EPA+DHA in fatty acid mix of the typical American diet) of n-3 fatty acids in breast cancer survivors of ERPR(-), HER2(±) breast cancer. Eligible participants will take 5 capsules/day for 12 months, with cellular samples of breast epithelial and/or adipose tissue obtained by fine needle aspirations of the contralateral breast. The study aims to determine whether n-3 fatty acid supplementation will modify fatty acid metabolite content in breast adipose tissue, modulate cytomorphology and/or cell proliferation in breast epithelial cells, affect DNA methylation patterns, and modulate pro- vs anti-inflammatory gene expression patterns in breast adipose tissue. Correlative aims will evaluate possible associations between factors such as breast adipose tissue, red cell membrane fatty acid profiles, BMI, and reported dietary intake. Sample size of 40 participants per arm was calculated to provide at least 80% power to detect a statistically significant difference for each primary endpoint. This study focuses on women survivors of high risk breast cancer subtypes, specifically triple negative or ERPR(-)HER2(+) disease, who are currently without long term adjuvant options. Eligibility criteria include prior diagnosis of ERPR(-) stage 0 to III breast cancer, ≤5 years from completion of standard therapy.The study was closed to accrual in November 2018; less than 9 months of follow-up remain for active study participants. Clinical trial information: NCT02295059.