BACKGROUND/AIMS Elevated levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) are under suspicion to mediate β-cell dysfunction and β-cell loss in type 2 diabetes, a phenomenon known as lipotoxicity. Whereas saturated fatty acids show a strong cytotoxic effect upon insulin-producing cells, unsaturated fatty acids are not toxic and can even prevent toxicity. Experimental evidence suggests that oxidative...

Drcarboxylic aciduria is a condition sometimes encountered during routine urine screening for inborn errors of metabolism [l] and may be due to ketosrs, a transient condition m some neonates [2] or a number of enzyme deficiencies mainly involving fatty acid metabolism or transport. Unsaturated dicarboxylic acids have also been reported m some of these conditions. These compounds are usually det...

Cholera toxin (CT) is an archetypal bacterial toxin that binds with a high affinity to the receptor ganglioside GM1 on the intestinal epithelial surface and that causes the severe watery diarrhea characteristic of the disease cholera. Blockage of the interaction of CT with the GM1 receptor is an attractive approach for therapeutic intervention. We report here that crude bile prevents the intera...

Human or rat microsomal 5 alpha-reductase activity, as measured by enzymic conversion of testosterone into 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone or by binding of a competitive inhibitor, [3H]17 beta-NN-diethulcarbamoyl-4-methyl-4-aza-5 alpha-androstan-3-one ([3H]4-MA) to the reductase, is inhibited by low concentrations (less than 10 microM) of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The relative inhibitory...

Low and high intake of fat consumption regardless of its kind can jeopardize personal and public health. Despite the importance of quality and quantity of fat in the diet and its relationship with some chronic disorders such as coronary heart disease, some types of cancers, obesity and diabetes, the consumption pattern of fats and their . constituent fatty acids have not yet been assessed in ou...

Recent physical studies on the lipids of biological membranes have emphasized the potential instability of the lamellar phase of mixtures of lipids containing unsaturated species of phosphatidylethanolamine, plasmenylethanolamine, or monoglycosyldiacylglycerols, all of which are important constituents of the membranes of different groups of prokaryotes. The polar lipid compositions of bacteria ...

The mitochondrial beta-oxidation system is one of the central metabolic pathways of energy metabolism in mammals. Enzyme defects in this pathway cause fatty acid oxidation disorders. To elucidate the role of 2,4-dienoyl-CoA reductase (DECR) as an auxiliary enzyme in the mitochondrial beta-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, we created a DECR-deficient mouse line. In Decr(-/-) mice, the mitoch...

BACKGROUND Fatty acids are substantial components of lipids and cell membranes in the form of phospholipids. This review consists of two parts. The present part aims at describing fatty acid classification, dietary sources and biological functions. The second part will focus on fatty acid physiological roles and applications in human health and disease. RESULTS In humans, not all fatty acids ...

The influence of lipids on gap-junction-mediated intercellular communication (i.e., metabolic cooperation) between Chinese hamster V79 cells was investigated. Unsaturated free fatty acids (oleate, linoleate, linolenate, palmitoleate, myristoleate, and arachidonate) inhibited metabolic cooperation between 6-thioguanine-resistant, hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase-deficient and 6-thi...