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Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Cellular Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 March 2022) | Viewed by 10212

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: unsaturated fatty acids; hepatic steatosis; insulin resistance; mitochondrial function and dynamics; endocrine disruptors
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Co-Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Interests: unsaturated fatty acids; hepatic steatosis; mitochondrial function and dynamics; endocrine disruptors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Unsaturated fatty acids seem to play a protective role against chronic and obesity-associated metabolic diseases, such as hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The cellular mechanisms involved in this protective effect are not fully understood.

The aim of this Special Issue is to update knowledge on the effects of unsaturated fatty acids on cellular metabolism and metabolic diseases onset. Potential topics may include but are not limited to the role of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids in the regulation of cellular pathways involved in obesity, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Comparative studies on the effects of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated (omega-3 and omega-6) fatty acids on metabolism and metabolic disease onset are also welcome. The submission is encouraged of studies aiming to evaluate the effect of unsaturated fatty acids using cellular culture as well as experimental animal models and human trials. Understanding cellular metabolism regulation by unsaturated fatty acids will be useful to generate new knowledge on their role in etiopathogenesis and/or protection toward metabolic and chronic diseases.

Dr. Lillà Lionetti
Guest Editor

Dr. Vincenzo Migliaccio
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Omega 3 PUFA
  • Omega 6 PUFA
  • Oleic acid
  • Hepatic steatosis
  • Insulin resistance
  • Mitochondrial function and dynamics
  • Cellular stress

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1766 KiB  
Article
Linseed, Baru, and Coconut Oils: NMR-Based Metabolomics, Leukocyte Infiltration Potential In Vivo, and Their Oil Characterization. Are There Still Controversies?
by Priscila Silva Figueiredo, Taynara Nogueira Martins, Luciana Marçal Ravaglia, Glaucia Braz Alcantara, Rita de Cássia Avellaneda Guimarães, Karine de Cássia Freitas, Ângela Alves Nunes, Lincoln Carlos Silva de Oliveira, Mário Rodrigues Cortês, Flavio Santana Michels, Mônica Cristina Toffoli Kadri, Iluska Senna Bonfá, Wander Fernando de Oliveira Filiú, Marcel Arakaki Asato, Bernardo Bacelar de Faria, Valter Aragão do Nascimento and Priscila Aiko Hiane
Nutrients 2022, 14(6), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061161 - 10 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2612
Abstract
Different fatty acid proportions produce potential inflammatory and metabolic changes in organisms. However, the evidence for how each fatty acid mediates the metabolic pathway, and its lipid stability remains controversial. To resolve this controversy, the present study investigated the metabolic effects of cold-pressed [...] Read more.
Different fatty acid proportions produce potential inflammatory and metabolic changes in organisms. However, the evidence for how each fatty acid mediates the metabolic pathway, and its lipid stability remains controversial. To resolve this controversy, the present study investigated the metabolic effects of cold-pressed linseed (LG), coconut (CG), and baru (BG) oils in comparison to those of soybean oil (SG) in mice, in terms of their oil characterization and stability. The quality analysis showed less oxidative behavior among PUFA-rich oils (SO, BO, and LO, with induction periods lower than 2 h compared to 39.8 h for CG), besides the high contents of tocopherols and carotenoids in SG and LG. In the experimental study, CG presented higher triglyceride (257.93 ± 72.30) and VLDL-cholesterol levels (51.59 ± 14.46, p < 0.05), while LG reduced LDL levels (59.29 ± 7.56, p < 0.05) when compared to SG (183.14 ± 22.06, 36.63 ± 4.41 and 131.63 ± 29.0, respectively). For visceral fats, the adiposity index was lower for BG (7.32 ± 3.13) and CG (9.58 ± 1.02, p < 0.05) in relation to SG (12.53 ± 2.80), and for leukocyte recruitment, CG presented lower polymorphonuclear (PMN) (p < 0.0001) and mononuclear (MN) (p < 0.05) cell infiltration, demonstrating anti-inflammatory potential. In NMR-based metabolomics, although CG presented higher values for the glucose, lactate, and LDL/VLDL ratio, this group also evidenced high levels of choline, a lipotropic metabolite. Our study emphasized the controversies of saturated fatty acids, which impair serum lipids, while alfa-linolenic acid presented cardioprotective effects. However, coconut oil also has a positive immunomodulatory pathway and was found to reduce visceral bodyfat in mice. Therefore, for future applications, we suggest a combination of lauric and al-fa-linolenic acid sources, which are present in coconut and linseed oil, respectively. This combination could be less obesogenic and inflammatory and exert cardioprotective action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Cellular Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases)
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12 pages, 2251 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Short-Term Shark Liver Oil Supplementation on the Fatty Acid Composition of Erythrocyte Membranes
by Katarzyna Zakrzewska, Katarzyna Oszajca, Wojciech Zep, Anna Piekarska and Malgorzata Sidorkiewicz
Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3329; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103329 - 23 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3647
Abstract
Fatty acid (FA) balance is strictly related to human health. The composition of fatty acids in lipid membranes seems to be influenced by diet. Shark liver oil (SLO) supplementation has been widely used recently in the prevention and treatment of human diseases. We [...] Read more.
Fatty acid (FA) balance is strictly related to human health. The composition of fatty acids in lipid membranes seems to be influenced by diet. Shark liver oil (SLO) supplementation has been widely used recently in the prevention and treatment of human diseases. We analyzed the impact of short-term SLO supplementation on certain biochemical parameters and erythrocyte FA composition in a group of young healthy women. Our results showed that 6 weeks of SLO supplementation led to a significant decrease in C-reactive protein levels in sera and intracellular cholesterol levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. SLO supplementation caused a significant increase in the content of the polyunsaturated omega-3 FAs: docosahexaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and α-linolenic acid. In the group of omega-6 FAs, we observed a significant elevation of arachidonic and dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid content. Due to these alterations, the omega-3 index increased significantly from 3.6% (before) to 4.2% (after supplementation). We also observed the impact of SLO supplementation on the membrane fluidity index. The ratio between saturated and unsaturated FAs decreased significantly from 13.1 to 9.9. In conclusion, our results show that even short-term SLO supplementation can improve human erythrocyte fatty acid composition and other parameters that may have health-promoting consequences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Cellular Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases)
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17 pages, 4158 KiB  
Article
Docosahexaenoic Acid Suppresses Expression of Adipogenic Tetranectin through Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein and Forkhead Box O Protein in Pigs
by Jui-Ting Yang, Yu-Jen Chen, Chao-Wei Huang, Ya-Chin Wang, Harry J. Mersmann, Pei-Hwa Wang and Shih-Torng Ding
Nutrients 2021, 13(7), 2315; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13072315 - 5 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2785
Abstract
Tetranectin (TN), a plasminogen-binding protein originally involved in fibrinolysis and bone formation, was later identified as a secreted adipokine from human and rat adipocytes and positively correlated with adipogenesis and lipid metabolism in adipocytes. To elucidate the nutritional regulation of adipogenic TN from [...] Read more.
Tetranectin (TN), a plasminogen-binding protein originally involved in fibrinolysis and bone formation, was later identified as a secreted adipokine from human and rat adipocytes and positively correlated with adipogenesis and lipid metabolism in adipocytes. To elucidate the nutritional regulation of adipogenic TN from diets containing different sources of fatty acids (saturated, n-6, n-3) in adipocytes, we cloned the coding region of porcine TN from a cDNA library and analyzed tissue expressions in weaned piglets fed with 2% soybean oil (SB, enriched in n-6 fatty acids), docosahexaenoic acid oil (DHA, an n-3 fatty acid) or beef tallow (BT, enriched in saturated and n-9 fatty acids) for 30 d. Compared with tissues in the BT- or SB-fed group, expression of TN was reduced in the adipose, liver and lung tissues from the DHA-fed group, accompanied with lowered plasma levels of triglycerides and cholesterols. This in vivo reduction was also confirmed in porcine primary differentiated adipocytes supplemented with DHA in vitro. Then, promoter analysis was performed. A 1956-bp putative porcine TN promoter was cloned and transcription binding sites for sterol regulatory-element binding protein (SREBP)-1c or forkhead box O proteins (FoxO) were predicted on the TN promoter. Mutating binding sites on porcine TN promoters showed that transcriptional suppression of TN by DHA on promoter activity was dependent on specific response elements for SREBP-1c or FoxO. The inhibited luciferase promoter activity by DHA on the TN promoter coincides with reduced gene expression of TN, SREBP-1c, and FoxO1 in human embryonic kidney HEK293T cells supplemented with DHA. To conclude, our current study demonstrated that the adipogenic TN was negatively regulated by nutritional modulation of DHA both in pigs in vivo and in humans/pigs in vitro. The transcriptional suppression by DHA on TN expression was partly through SREBP-1c or FoxO. Therefore, down-regulation of adipogenic tetranectin associated with fibrinolysis and adipogenesis may contribute to the beneficial effects of DHA on ameliorating obesity-induced metabolic syndromes such as atherosclerosis and adipose dysfunctions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unsaturated Fatty Acids, Cellular Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases)
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