Unsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Research Articles

Anaerobic growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK113-7D does not depend on synthesis or supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids.

ABSTRACTIn Saccharomyces cerevisiae, acyl-coenzyme A desaturation by Ole1 requires molecular oxygen. Tween 80, a poly-ethoxylated sorbitan-oleate ester, is therefore routinely included in anaerobic growth media as a source of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). During optimization of protocols for anaerobic bioreactor cultivation of this yeast, we consistently observed growth of the laboratory strain S. cerevisiae CEN.PK113-7D in media that contained the anaerobic growth factor ergosterol, but lacked UFAs. To minimize oxygen contamination, additional experiments were performed in an anaerobic chamber. After anaerobic precultivation without ergosterol and Tween 80, strain CEN.PK113-7D and a congenic ole1Δ strain both grew during three consecutive batch-cultivation cycles on medium that contained ergosterol, but not Tween 80. During these three cycles, no UFAs were detected in biomass of cultures grown without Tween 80, while contents of C10 to C14 saturated fatty acids were higher than in biomass from Tween 80-supplemented cultures. In contrast to its UFA-independent anaerobic growth, aerobic growth of the ole1Δ strain strictly depended on Tween 80 supplementation. This study shows that the requirement of anaerobic cultures of S. cerevisiae for UFA supplementation is not absolute and provides a basis for further research on the effects of lipid composition on yeast viability and robustness.

Cross Regulation of Phospholipid and Unsaturated Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

Considering the requirement for unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) to produce phospholipids, we investigated the potential cross regulation of phospholipid and UFA biosynthesis. The Δ‐9 desaturase, encoded by OLE1, is the sole source of endogenous UFAs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Inspection of the OLE1 promoter revealed several sequences that are close matches to the regulatory sequence, UASINO, found in many phospholipid biosynthetic genes, and is the target of regulation by Ino2p, Ino4p and Opi1p. We then examined if these proteins also play a role in regulation of OLE1 expression. Reporter gene analysis showed that when uracil prototrophy was placed under control of the OLE1 promoter, poor expression was observed in an opi1 mutant. When lacZ was placed under control of the OLE1 promoter, reporter assays confirmed that expression was poor in the opi1 mutant. Fatty acid analysis revealed that normal regulation of OLE1 occurred in response to unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) supplement in the opi1 mutant, indicating that post‐transcriptional regulation is still functional. Finally, the 2 hybrid assay was used to examine potential interactions between Opi1p and Ole1p, Ino2p, Ino4p and known OLE1 regulators Mga2p and Spt23p. While no unexpected Opi1p interactions were detected, we observed that Ino4p interacts with Mga2p in this assay. This preliminary work indicates that phospholipid regulators also play a role in regulating OLE1 expression.Support or Funding InformationWe acknowledge the support of the Hope College Biology Department, and the Hope College Dean of Natural and Applied Sciences.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 is required for flavivirus RNA replication

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most prevalent human arthropod-borne virus and causes severe problems worldwide, mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. However, there is no specific antiviral drug against DENV infection. We and others recently reported that stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) inhibitor showed potent suppression of hepatitis C virus replication. In this study, we examined the impact of SCD1 on DENV replication. We found that SCD1 inhibitors (MK8245 and #1716) dramatically suppressed DENV replication in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. This anti-DENV efficacy was observed against all four DENV serotypes and other flaviviruses, including Zika virus and Japanese encephalitis virus. A subgenomic replicon system of DENV was used to confirm that SCD1 inhibitor suppressed viral RNA replication. Interestingly, exogenous supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids resulted in recovery of the DENV titer even in the presence of SCD1 inhibitor, suggesting that fatty acid biosynthesis contributes to DENV genome replication. These findings indicate that SCD1 is a novel host factor required for DENV replication, and SCD1 inhibitor is a potential candidate for treating dengue fever.

Co-Culture of Filamentous Feed-Grade Fungi and Microalgae as an Alternative to Increase Feeding Value of Ethanol Coproducts

Distiller’s grains, an important commodity in the feed and food chains, are currently underdosed in rations due to several factors, mainly nutrient imbalance. This study aimed to increase the linoleic acid content in distiller’s grains and decrease the excess nutrients in stillage water by the use of an artificial lichen, composed of fungi, algae, and a supporting matrix. A maximum concentration of 46.25% of linoleic acid in distiller’s grains was achieved with a combination of Mucor indicus and Chlorella vulgaris using corn-to-ethanol whole stillage as substrate. Microbial hydrolytic enzymes during fermentation were able to decrease the solids in whole stillage. Nitrogen depletion by microalgal uptake causes lipid-formation stress to Mucor indicus cells, increasing linoleic acid production to about 49% of the total lipids, potentially decreasing costs in the animal feed. The culture supernatant can potentially be recycled as process water to the ethanol fermentation tank, and enhanced distiller’s grains can replace animal-specific diets. This would reduce exogenous enzyme use and supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids from other sources.

Growth and metabolomic responses of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) to different dietary fatty acid sources and salinity levels

The outstanding benefits of and strong interest in the inland low-salinity culture of penaeid shrimp have led to the growth of this industry worldwide. This study aimed to explore the effects of dietary fatty acids on shrimp in low-salinity culture. Individuals of the marine white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei were fed one of three diets (coconut oil, fish oil, or an equal mixture of both) of differing fatty acid profiles for eight weeks while being maintained at two different salinities (3 or 30 psu). Then, a GC-TOF/MS-based metabolomics analysis was performed to reveal the regulatory roles of fatty acids in shrimp growth, survival and osmoregulation at two salinities. The shrimp fed the mixed oil diet had higher weight gain and survival, and those fed the diet with only fish oil added exhibited higher unsaturated fatty acid levels in the gills and hepatopancreas irrespective of salinity. Na+/K+-ATPase and total ATPase activities were lowest in the shrimp fed the mixed oil diet at both salinities. When coconut oil was the only lipid source, shrimp tissues contained higher tyrosine, lysine and serine levels at 3 psu than at 30 psu. In contrast, the shrimp fed fish oil as the sole lipid source had higher glucose at 3 psu than at 30 psu. This study indicates that appropriate supplementation of dietary unsaturated and saturated fatty acids can improve shrimp osmoregulation capacity and thus promote shrimp growth and survival in low-salinity water.

Relationships between adiponectin levels, the metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes: a literature review.

Elevated hepatic glucose production, impaired insulin secretion, and insulin resistance - abnormalities of glucose metabolism typically found in subjects with obesity - are major factors underlying the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (DM2) and the metabolic syndrome (MS). Adiponectin is a major regulator of glucose and lipid homeostasis via its insulin-sensitizing properties, and lower levels seems to be associated with the development of DM2 and MS. The purpose of this review is to clarify the mechanisms whereby adiponectin relates to the development of DM2 and MS and the association between polymorphisms of the adiponectin gene, circulating levels of the hormone, and its relationships with DM2. In addition, the impact of dietary lipids in the circulating levels of adiponectin will be addressed. According to the literature, circulating adiponectin levels seem to decrease as the number of MS components increases. Lower adiponectin concentrations are associated with higher intra-abdominal fat content. Therefore, adiponectin could link intra-abdominal fat with insulin resistance and development of MS. Therapeutic strategies that target the MS and its components, such as lifestyle modification through physical activity and weight loss, have been shown to increase adiponectin concentrations. Possible roles of diets containing either low or high amounts of fat, or different types of fat, have been analyzed in several studies, with heterogeneous results. Supplementation with n-3 PUFA modestly increases adiponectin levels, whereas conjugated linoleic acid supplementation appears to reduce concentrations when compared with unsaturated fatty acid supplementation used as an active placebo.

Unsaturated Fatty Acids Improve Atherosclerosis Markers in Obese and Overweight Non-diabetic Elderly Patients.

Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of replacing trans and saturated fats with unsaturated fatty acids on cardiovascular diseases. We aimed to demonstrate the effect of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat supplementation on the biochemical and endothelial markers of atherosclerotic disease in obese or overweight non-diabetic elderly patients. Seventy-nine patients were randomly divided into three groups: flaxseed oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil; patients in each group received 30mL of oil for 90days. Patients were subjected to anthropometric and bioimpedance assessments; biochemical and endothelial evaluations were performed through ultrasonography of the brachial artery and carotid artery for endothelium-dependent dilation and intima-media thickness assessment, respectively, before and after the intervention. The participants' usual diet remained unchanged. The flaxseed oil group had improved ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein levels (p=0.074) and reduced carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) (p=0.028); the olive oil group exhibited an improved apolipoprotein (Apo)B/ApoA ratio (p=0.021), reduced CIMT (p=0.028), and improved flow-mediated vasodilation (FMV) (p=0.054); and similarly, the sunflower oil group showed an improved ApoB/ApoA ratio (p=0.024), reduced CIMT (p=0.048), and improved FMV (p=0.001). Unsaturated fatty acid supplementation using the three vegetable oils attenuated pro-inflammatory properties and improved prothrombotic conditions. Therefore, introducing or replacing saturated and trans fat with unsaturated fatty acids is beneficial for cardiovascular risk reduction in obese or overweight non-diabetic elderly people. Further studies are needed to determine which unsaturated fat best prevents cardiovascular disease in elderly patients.

Effect of herbs and spices (plant extracts) on rumen microbial activities: a review (Inglés)

Ruminant livestock are important sources of animal protein and calories, also are sources of global greenhouse emissions. There is increasing interest in evaluating the potential of natural antimicrobials such as plant extracts to modify rumen microbial fermentation due to reduction on the use of antibiotics in animal feeds and with ban on antibiotics in the Europe. These compounds are known to have an impact on rumen microbial metabolism by inducing changes in the fermentation conditions and also affecting ruminant productivity. The methods to effectively reduce methane production in the reticulo-rumen include processing of feeds, altering the diet, supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids, defaunation, supplementation of organic acids, halogenated compounds, ionophores, microbial feed additives (probiotics), plant extracts and their secondary metabolites. All these strategies to be validated in vivo studies in specific dose(s) to make it economically viable. This review aimed to reveal the impact of these natural plants extracts on rumen microorganisms. Plants normally contain a high to medium content of secondary compounds such as essential oil, saponins, organosulphur and tannins, which exert a specific effect against or favour rumen microorganism and reduce methane, leaving less or no distortion on the remaining rumen biomass. Their actions include direct action on microbial metabolism and deprivation of substrates for microbial growth. These plant extracts require more long term studies in vivo to determine their effectiveness in commercial systems. For sustainability, the feed additive would need to be effective over long periods of time, non-toxic for animals, the environment, the consumers and maybe standard use in animal feeds

Enhanced production of β-carotene in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae by inverse metabolic engineering with supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids

β-Carotene biosynthesis in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae was improved using inverse metabolic engineering. Determination of the transcriptional profiles of mevalonate pathway genes showed that transcription of HMG1, ERG8, ERG19 and ERG20 were induced in recombinant strain compared with the parent strain, whereas the expression of HMG2, ERG12 and IDI showed no significant differences. The contents of ergosterol and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) were decreased in recombinant yeast, and ERG9 and OLE1 involved in their syntheses were upregulated, suggesting that an increased demand exists for ergosterol and UFAs in recombinant yeast. Single overexpression of ERG19, ERG12 and ERG20 led to 11.0–32.2% increments in β-carotene content, but caused 22.9% and 13.6% decrements in overexpression of ERG8 and IDI1, respectively. In comparison, supplementation of 60mg/l oleic acid and palmitoleic acid led to 83.7% and 130.2% increments of β-carotene content, respectively, in parallel with recovery of UFA contents in cells. These results suggested that single overexpression of most genes in mevalonate pathway is not an effective approach for enhanced carotenoid production. However, intracellular UFA contents are important for carotenoid biosynthesis, and enriching UFA contents by exogenous supplementation or strengthening their biosynthesis might be a promising strategy to improve carotenoid production in recombinant S. cerevisiae.

Cell membrane fatty acid changes and desaturase expression of Saccharomyces bayanus exposed to high pressure homogenization in relation to the supplementation of exogenous unsaturated fatty acids.

Aims: The aim of this work was to study the responses of Saccharomyces bayanus cells exposed to sub-lethal high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and determine whether the plasmatic membrane can sense HPH in the presence, or absence, of exogenous unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) in the growth medium.Methods and Results: High-pressure homogenization damaged and caused the collapse of cell walls and membranes of a portion of cells; however, HPH did not significantly affect S. bayanus cell viability (less than 0.3 Log CFU ml-1). HPH strongly affected the membrane fatty acid (FA) composition by increasing the percentage of total UFA when compared with saturated fatty acids. The gene expression showed that the transcription of OLE1, ERG3, and ERG11 increased after HPH. The presence of exogenous UFA abolished HPH-induced effects on the OLE1 and ERG3 genes, increased the percentage of membrane lipids and decreased the expression of OLE1 and ERG3 within 30 min of treatment.Conclusion: The results suggest a key role for UFA in the microbial cell response to sub-lethal stress. In addition, these data provide insight into the molecular basis of the response of S. bayanus to this innovative technology.Significance and Impact of the Study: Elucidation of the mechanism of action for sub-lethal HPH will enable the utilization of this technology to modulate the starter performance at the industrial scale.

The effect of supplementing rumen undegradable unsaturated fatty acids on marbling in early-weaned steers.

The objective of this study was to determine if supplementation with a rumen undegradable unsaturated fatty acids (FA) source improved marbling deposition in early-weaned steers. All steers (Angus, = 23; Angus × Hereford, = 24) were weaned at 150 ± 5 d of age. Steers were blocked by BW and breed and then randomly assigned to either control (CON; average 1.5 kg of corn gluten feed [CGF], = 23) or isocaloric supplementation containing a rumen undegradable fat source (RUF; 200 g of Megalac-R added to an average of 1.06 kg of CGF, = 24) offered 5 d/wk for 110 d. All steers had ad libitum access to pastures throughout treatment and received supplements individually. Steer BW and blood samples were collected at 0, 55, and 110 d of supplementation, and real-time ultrasound measurements were collected at d 110. Following treatment, steers were transported to Oklahoma State University for finishing and subsequent harvesting at a commercial plant. All data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS either as repeated measures or ANOVA depending on parameters. There were no significant changes in BW from the beginning of treatment to harvest due to treatment. Ultrasound data showed that RUF steers tended ( = 0.08) to have more i.m. fat than CON at d 110. Serum concentrations of FA showed a treatment × day interaction ( < 0.02) for 16:0, 18:0, 18:1-9, 18:2, 20:4, and total FA. These specific FA concentrations slightly increased in CON steers, but there was a more pronounced increase in the concentration of these FA across the supplementation period in RUF steers. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were increased ( < 0.01) on d 55 and 110 in RUF steers compared with those in CON steers. Serum leptin concentration in RUF steers was greater ( < 0.01) than CON steers at d 110. After harvest, RUF carcasses had greater ( = 0.01) marbling scores than those of CON carcasses. All other carcass measures were similar between treatments. The percentage of total lipids was increased ( = 0.011) in steaks from RUF compared to CON. There was a decrease ( < 0.05) in adipocyte diameter in i.m. fat depot of RUF steers compared to CON. There was also a tendency ( = 0.06) for RUF steers to have a greater percentage of 20 to 30 μm adipocytes in their i.m. depot than CON steers. This study indicates that supplementation of unsaturated FA can positively impact marbling deposition in early-weaned steers without impacting other carcass measures.

Unsaturated fatty acids-dependent linkage between respiration and fermentation revealed by deletion of hypoxic regulatory KlMGA2 gene in the facultative anaerobe-respiratory yeast Kluyveromyces lactis.

In the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, the inactivation of structural or regulatory glycolytic and fermentative genes generates obligate respiratory mutants which can be characterized by sensitivity to the mitochondrial drug antimycin A on glucose medium (Rag(-) phenotype). Rag(-) mutations can occasionally be generated by the inactivation of genes not evidently related to glycolysis or fermentation. One such gene is the hypoxic regulatory gene KlMGA2. In this work, we report a study of the many defects, in addition to the Rag(-) phenotype, generated by KlMGA2 deletion. We analyzed the fermentative and respiratory metabolism, mitochondrial functioning and morphology in the Klmga2Δ strain. We also examined alterations in the regulation of the expression of lipid biosynthetic genes, in particular fatty acids, ergosterol and cardiolipin, under hypoxic and cold stress and the phenotypic suppression by unsaturated fatty acids of the deleted strain. Results indicate that, despite the fact that the deleted mutant strain had a typical glycolytic/fermentative phenotype and KlMGA2 is a hypoxic regulatory gene, the deletion of this gene generated defects linked to mitochondrial functions suggesting new roles of this protein in the general regulation and cellular fitness of K. lactis. Supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids suppressed or modified these defects suggesting that KlMga2 modulates membrane functioning or membrane-associated functions, both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial.

Unsaturated fatty acids supplementation reduces blood lead level in rats.

Some dietary factors could inhibit lead toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dietary compounds rich in unsaturated fatty acids (FA) on blood lead level, lipid metabolism, and vascular reactivity in rats. Serum metallothionein and organs' lead level were evaluated with the aim of assessing the possible mechanism of unsaturated FA impact on blood lead level. For three months, male Wistar rats that were receiving drinking water with (100 ppm Pb) or without lead acetate were supplemented per os daily with virgin olive oil or linseed oil (0.2 mL/kg b.w.) or egg derived lecithin fraction: “super lecithin” (50 g/kg b.w.). Mesenteric artery was stimulated ex vivo by norepinephrine (NE) administered at six different doses. Lecithin supplementation slightly reduced pressor responses of artery to NE. Lead administered to rats attenuated the beneficial effect of unsaturated FA on lipid metabolism and vascular reactivity to adrenergic stimulation. On the other hand, the super lecithin and linseed oil that were characterized by low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (about 1) reduced the blood lead concentration. This effect was observed in lead poisoned rats (p < 0.0001) and also in rats nonpoisoned with lead (p < 0.05).

Rumen Manipulation for Enhanced Feed Utilization and Improved Productivity Performance of Ruminants: A review

Feed resources are inadequate both in quality and quantity in most developing countries, like Ethiopia. Natural pasture, crop residues and agro-industrial by-products constitute the major proportions of feeds available to most ruminants under smallholder production systems. The rumen has been recognized as an essential fermentation ‘Chamber’. Up to 12% of gross energy, however, is lost in the form of methane from ruminants. Methane is also one of the major green house gasses. Methane is produced by bacteria species, collectively called methanogens. Reduction in methane production increases the efficiency of feed utilization in ruminant animals. Manipulation of ruminal fermentation processes for reducing methane production by ruminants to improve the production performance of ruminants is the current major target of many animal nutritionists. The methods to effectively reduce methane production in the reticulo-rumen include processing of feeds, altering the ration, supplementation of unsaturated fatty acids, defaunation, supplementation of organic acids, halogenated compounds, ionophores, microbial feed additives (probiotics), plant extracts and their secondary metabolites. All these have to be validated in vivo studies in specific dose(s) to make it economically viable.Keywords: Rumen, Fermentation, Methane, Plant Extracts, Ethiopia.

Adição de ácidos graxos insaturados melhora os processos digestivos de vacas leiteiras no terço médio de lactação

Objetivou-se neste estudo avaliar o uso de fontes de ácidos graxos insaturados nas rações de vacas leiteiras sobre o balanço de nutrientes e o perfil de ácidos graxos do leite. Foram utilizadas 12 vacas Holandesas no terço médio de lactação (média de 128 dias) e (580 kg de peso corpóreo) com produção média de leite de 25 kg/dia distribuídas aleatoriamente em três quadrados latinos balanceados 4x4 alimentadas com as seguintes dietas: 1) controle (CO); 2) óleo de soja refinado; (SO); 3) grão de soja integral (WS) e; 4) sais de cálcio de ácidos graxos insaturados (CSFA). A produção de leite obtida foi de 26,6; 26,4; 24,1 e 25,7 kg/dia para as dietas CO, SO, WS e CSFA respectivamente. As vacas alimentadas com as dietas OS, GS e SCAG apresentaram menores consumos diários de MS, MO, PB, EE, CT, CNF e NDT em relação às vacas do tratamento CO. Os animais alimentados com as dietas contendo ácidos graxos apresentaram maiores valores de digestibilidade da MS e EE em relação a dieta CO. A suplementação de ácidos graxos aumentou os valores de pH e as concentrações de N-NH3 no rúmen. As excreções de alantoína, ácido úrico, alatoína do leite, derivados totais de purinas, total de purinas absorvidas, nitrogênio microbiano, e eficiência microbiana não diferiram entre as dietas experimentais. O uso de ácidos graxos insaturados na dieta de vacas leiteiras altera a eficiência digestiva da dieta dependendo da forma suplementada.

Effect of unsaturated fatty acid supplementation on digestion, metabolism and nutrient balance in dairy cows during the transition period and early lactation

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of unsaturated fatty acids in diets for dairy cows during the transition period and early lactation on intake, digestion and nutrient balance. Thirty-six multiparous and pregnant Holstein cows were randomly distributed to receive one of the experimental diets in the period from 35 days before the expected date of parturition to 84 days post-partum. Diets were fed as a total mixed ration and were as follows: control (C); soybean oil (SO), based on inclusion of 30 g/kg (DM basis); and calcium salts of unsaturated fatty acids (CS), based on inclusion of 30 g/kg (DM basis). Pre-partum dry matter intakes (DMI) of cows fed C, SO and CS were 11.9, 9.5 and 9.6 kg/d, respectively. Post-partum DMI was affected by experimental diets (18.5, 15.0 and 17.4 kg/d for C, SO and CS, respectively). The energy balance in the transition period of animals fed CS was 4.41 Mcal/d higher than cows fed SO and 1.3 Mcal/d higher than cows fed C. Supplementing cows with unsaturated fatty acid sources is a strategy for dairy cows in the transition period.

Oxylipins generation inLactobacillus helveticusin relation to unsaturated fatty acid supplementation

Oxylipins are regarded as unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) oxidation products, whose accumulation in plants and fungi is associated with stress. The aim of this study was to investigate if a metabolic pathway from UFAs to oxylipins was present also in lactic acid bacteria (LAB). A strain of Lactobacillus helveticus, incubated in the presence of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids released, after 2h, fatty acid oxidation products, mainly C6 , C8 , C9 aldehydes and alcohols. An experiment with total carbon labelled linoleic acid, in the presence or not of an oxidative stress, demonstrated that oxylipins, such as hexanal, octanal, nonanal, 2-octenal, 2-octanal, originated mainly from the oxidation of this fatty acid. Since lipoxygenase, dioxygenase and cytochrome P450 genes have never been found in L.helveticus, a possible pathway for linoleic conversion and oxylipins formation could include, as a first step, the transient formation of hydroxylated linoleic acids by fatty acids hydratases. However, the sequence of steps from the linoleic acid to the C6 and C8 aldehydes needs to be more deeply investigated. Due to the multiple role of oxylipins which are flavouring agents, antimicrobial compounds and interspecific signalling molecules, the knowledge of the mechanisms involved in their biosynthesis in food related bacteria could have an important biotechnological impact, also allowing the overproduction of selected bioactive molecules.

The Effects of n-3 LC-PUFA Supplementation on Hand-Eye Coordination

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of n-3 LC-PUFA (omega3 long-chain unsaturated fatty acid) supplementation on hand-eye coordination. This research was a single-blind placebo-controlled trial. Fifty three individuals (10,89±1,57 years old) who had never played tennis before took part in the study. They were randomly allocated to three groups. Omega group received n-3 LC-PUFA (670 mg · day-1; n=21); placebo group received olive oil (670 mg · day-1; n=18) during 16 weeks; and control group. All of the groups (omega, placebo and control) joined to the tennis trainings which involved 3 hours per week for 16 weeks. Individual's hand-eye coordination was evaluated before and after 16 weeks tennis trainings with two hand-eye coordination test battery. The data were evaluated with repeated measures analysis of variance and also with paired simples T-Test. The results show that there were no significant differences between groups (p>0,05), but omega (p=0,004) and placebo (p=0,006) groups has significant improvement on their hand-eye coordination in spite of control group (p=0,086). Consequently, it can be said that n-3 LC-PUFA supplementation might be improve hand-eye coordination of children but tennis training also efficient on hand-eye coordination.

Effect of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid supplementation on bio-plastic production under submerged fermentation.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are intracellular reserve material stored by gram-negative bacteria under nutrient-limited condition. PHAs are utilized in biodegradable plastics (bio-plastics) synthesis due to their similarity with conventional synthetic plastic. In the present study, the effect of addition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid) on the production of PHAs by the soil bacterium Alcaligenes sp. NCIM 5085 was studied. Fatty acid supplementation in basal media produced saturated and unsaturated PHAs of medium and short chain length. Gas chromatography analysis of palmitic acid-supplemented media showed the presence of short chain length (scl) PHAs which could potentially serve as precursors for bio-plastic production. The scl PHA was subsequently characterized as PHB by NMR and FTIR. On the other hand, oleic acid and linoleic acid addition showed both saturated and unsaturated PHAs of different chain lengths. Palmitic acid showed maximum PHB content of 70.8 % at concentration of 15 g l−1 under shake flask cultivation. When shake flask cultivation was scaled up in a 7.5-l bioreactor (working volume 3 l), 7.6 g l−1 PHA was produced with a PHB yield (YP/X) and productivity of 75.89 % and 0.14 g l−1 h, respectively.

Concentration of 25(OH)D3 and calcium and phosphorus metabolism in patients suffering from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. A pilot study

Background and purposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of 25(OH)D3 and the indices of calcium and phosphorus metabolism at different times of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). The relationships between the concentrations of 25(OH)D3 and the indices of calcium-phosphate metabolism were determined, depending on the duration of disease and vitamin and unsaturated fatty acids supplementation. Material and methodsThirty patients (15 at the early stage and 15 at the advanced stage of MS) were enrolled. Each patient underwent neurological examination; neurological motor disability was defined according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The results were compared to the values obtained in the control group (15 individuals) selected according to the age of subjects, their residence, ethnicity and gender. ResultsSignificantly lower serum concentrations of 25(OH)D3 in MS patients compared to the control group were found. MS patients at the advanced stage of the disease (duration of 5–6 years) had lower 25(OH)D3 concentrations than patients at the early stage of MS. Among patients in an advanced stage of MS, significantly lower levels of 25(OH)D3 were found in women compared to men with a similar level of physical disability. ConclusionsLower serum concentrations of 25(OH)D3 in MS patients compared to the control group were found. The lowest concentrations of 25(OH)D3 were found in female patients aged 20–40 and in patients with a longer disease duration without substantial impairment of calcium-phosphate metabolism.