VITAMINS

[title in Japanese]

Natsuo Ueda, Hiroyuki Arai

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 529-530
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_529

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Epidemiological evidence of the beneficial effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the prevention of cardiovascular disease

Toshiharu Ninomiya

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 531-536
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_531

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The influence of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, on the development of cardiovascular disease has been attracting much attention among the health-conscious public. Omega-3 PUFAs are contained in fish or fish oil. Omega-3 PUFAs must be taken through these foods, because they are not synthesized in the human body. Therefore, they are called “essential fatty acids”. Omega-3 PUFAs have been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects in competition with the inflammatory and thrombotic effects of arachidonic acid. An epidemiological study reported in the 1970s showed that Greenlanders or the Greenland Inuit having a dietary habit to eat food rich in omega-3 PUFAs had a lower risk of mortality from ishemic heart disease than Western people. Several epidemiological and clinical studies suggest that the consumption of fish, fish oil, and omega-3 PUFAs reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. The epidemiological evidence of the beneficial effect of omega-3 PUFAs on the prevention of cardiovascular disease in communities-based Japanese populations has been introduced in this review.

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Omega-3 fatty acid metabolism in controlling inflammation

Tomoaki Ishihara, Yosuke Isobe, Makoto Arita

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 537-541
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_537

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Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have already been known to exert health-promoting effects such as anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular　protective effects. Although the mechanism by which EPA or DHA affects inflammation is not fully clear, it has been proposed that they function physiologically through their conversion to bioactive metabolites by oxidizing enzymes such as lipoxygenase, cyclooxygenase, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase. Through recent advances in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based mediator lipidomics technologies, numbers of novel anti-inflammatory lipid mediators have been identified during the resolution phase of acute inflammation. The usefulness of these mediators has been paid much attention because of their novel mechanism to promote the resolution of inflammation in vivo. In this mini-review, we outline our recent knowledge concerning the metabolism of omega-3 PUFAs and the newly discovered functions of their metabolites in inflammatory diseases. Elucidating the production mechanism of the active metabolites of omega-3 PUFAs and the action mechanism of the active metabolites would help not only to understand the pathology of diseases closely associated with inflammation, but also to develop therapeutic application to the diseases.

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Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in the patients with ischemic heart disease and heart failure

Akira Takashima, Masataka Sata

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 542-546
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_542

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Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, the major components of fish oil, reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the major components of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which reduce atherogenesis, which contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with ischemic heart disease. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to improve left ventricular systolic function and functional capacity and to reduce mortality and hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons in patients with heart failure or non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Although recent studies have demonstrated several molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, the mechanism by which omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce cardiovascular events remains to be elucidated.

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The role of docosahexaenoic acid in brain development

Nobuyuki Sakayori, Noriko Osumi

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 547-554
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_547

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Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the principal -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain, and it is essential for proper brain development. -3 PUFAs are not synthesized de novo in mammals, and thus they must be obtained from diets. Revealing the role of DHA in brain development is scientifically and socially important because intake of fishes, which are abundant in -3 PUFAs, has recently been decreased in many countries, including Japan. Previous in vitro studies have revealed the role of DHA in neural stem cells (NSCs); DHA modulates proliferation and neuronal differentiation of NSCs. In evaluation of in vivo roles of DHA, the balance of -3/-6 PUFAs must be considered due to the competition between these two classes of PUFAs for their synthesis, metabolism, and transport. Recently, we have reported the impact of maternal consumption of an -3-poor/-6-rich diet, a widely spread nutrition style in the world, on offspring's brain development in mice. We found that epoxy metabolites of DHA and arachidonic acid (an -6 PUFA) regulated the neurogenic-to-gliogenic fate transition of NSCs, and consequently they affected brain development. In the present review, we summarize the roles of DHA and its metabolites in NSCs and in brain development.

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Biosynthesis and physiological functions of 3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in bacteria

Tatsuo Kurihara, Jun Kawamoto, Takuya Ogawa

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 555-562
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_555

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Bacteria that belong to Shewanella, Moritella, Colwellia, Photobacterium, and other genera synthesize 3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid de novo. The bacterial enzymes for the synthesis of these fatty acids share sequence similarity with polyketide synthases. Their synthesis proceeds in an oxygen molecule-independent manner, implying that the double bonds are introduced by dehydratase, not by desaturase. Comparison of phenotypes of EPA-producing bacteria with their EPA-deficient mutant revealed various physiological functions of EPA. In Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10 and Shewanella violacea DSS12, EPA is required for their normal cell division at low temperatures and high pressures, respectively. In these bacteria, EPA depletion does not cause an apparent decrease of bulk membrane fluidity, suggesting that EPA plays a specific physiological role other than increasing membrane fluidity. A fluorescent analog of EPA-containing phospholipids was shown to accumulate at the cell division site of S. livingstonensis Ac10, suggesting that EPA-containing phospholipids play an assistant beneficial role in cell division at the division site through their accumulation at the site. In Shewanella marinintestina IK-1, EPA depletion increases sensitivity to hydrophilic growth inhibitors such as hydrogen peroxide and resistance to hydrophobic compounds, suggesting a membrane-shielding function of EPA. Recent studies indicate that EPA is also involved in the biogenesis of membrane proteins and extracellular membrane vesicles.

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Diverse physiological functions exerted by fatty acyl chains in membrane phospholipids.

Nozomu Kono, Hiroyuki Arai

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 563-568
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_563

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Fatty acids in membrane phospholipids of mammalian cells and tissues exhibit a considerable structural diversity, including varying chain lengths and degrees of unsaturation. The diversity of fatty acyl chains in membrane phospholipids is formed by fatty acid remodeling of newly synthesized phospholipids. During the last decade, a series of phospholipid acyltransferases involved in fatty acid remodeling has been identified. Recently, unexpected biological roles of fatty acyl chains in membrane phospholipids are emerging from the knockout mice of the phospholipid acyltransferases.

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Caloric restriction is effective for healthy longevity of rhesus monkeys

Akihito Ishigami

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 569-572
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_569

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Variation of vitamin E concentration by gender difference and menstrual cycle

Saiko Ikeda, Norie Suzuki, Tomono Uchida

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 573-575
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_573

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[title in Japanese]

[in Japanese]

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 576-
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_576

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[title in Japanese]

[in Japanese]

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 576-577
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_576_2

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[title in Japanese]

[in Japanese]

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 577-
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_577

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[title in Japanese]

[in Japanese], Ma Yue, [in Japanese], [in Japanese]

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 578-
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_578

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[title in Japanese]

[in Japanese], [in Japanese], [in Japanese], [in Japanese], [in Japane ...

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 579-580
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_579

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[title in Japanese]

[in Japanese], [in Japanese], [in Japanese]

2017 Volume 91 Issue 9 Pages 580-
Published: 2017
Released on J-STAGE: September 30, 2018

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.20632/vso.91.9_580

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