The docosahexaenoic (DHA), a ω-3 fatty acid, could play a beneficial inhibition of the incidence and progress of a series of human diseases including cancer. It has been report that DHA is involved in cell apoptosis. Recent studies show that the signal transduction pathway links with bcl-2, bax, caspase-3 and MMP-9 molecules. Therefore, we tested the relationship between DHA and cell apoptosis ...

A deficiency in essential fatty acid metabolism has been widely reported in both human and animal diabetes. Fish oil supplementations (n-3 fatty acids), containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), were less effective on diabetic neuropathy than (n-6) fatty acids. This partial effect of (n-3) fatty acids might be attributed to the presence of EPA, a competitor of arach...

While intakes of the omega-3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA) are similar in vegetarians and non-vegetarians, intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are low in vegetarians and virtually absent in vegans. Plasma, blood and tissue levels of EPA and DHA are lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians, although the clinical significance of this is unknown. Vegetaria...

Children with phenylketonuria (PKU) follow a diet with very low intakes of natural protein, which is devoid of food sources of the omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A resulting DHA depletion has been demonstrated in PKU children and may account for detectable subtle neurological deficits that are not explained by variation in plasma phenylalanine concentrations. We supplemented 36 children wi...

Intake of fish oil containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) prevents heart failure; however, the mechanisms are unclear. Mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening contributes to myocardial pathology in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, and treatment with DHA EPA delays MPTP opening. Here, we assessed: 1) whether supplementation with both DHA and...

Brain phosphatide synthesis requires three circulating compounds: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), uridine, and choline. Oral administration of these phosphatide precursors to experimental animals increases the levels of phosphatides and synaptic proteins in the brain and per brain cell as well as the numbers of dendritic spines on hippocampal neurons. Arachidonic acid fails to reproduce these effec...

Aging contributes to physiological decline and vulnerability to disease. In the brain, even with minimal neuronal loss, aging increases oxidative damage, inflammation, demyelination, impaired processing, and metabolic deficits, particularly during pathological brain aging. In this review, the possible role of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the prevention of age-related disruption of brain functi...

The content of n-3 (omega 3) polyunsaturated fatty acids in fat tissue is an indicator of their long-term consumption. Therefore, a method for determining n-3 fatty acids in human fat tissue microbiopsies was validated and the stability of n-3 fatty acids in biopsies was checked under various conditions of storage. Methyl esters were prepared from 25 to 35 mg adipose tissue and separated by cap...