Linolenic acid alpha

Kim, J. Y., Park, H. D., Park, E., Chon, J. W., and Park, Y. K. (2009). Growth-inhibitory and proapoptotic effects of alpha-linolenic acid on estrogen-positive breast cancer cells. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 1171,190-195. 

Aside from its murky role in brain function, alpha-linolenic acid has some well-documented effects on heart disease. It reduces the risk of blood-clot formation, lowers the chance of potentially lethal irregular heartbeat, and probably has an antiinflammatory effect on blood vessels. Several studies have found a link between increased intake of the acid and reduced risk of death from heart disease. Alpha-linolenic acid helps lower blood cholesterol, but flaxseed has another component that performs this function even more effectively. This is soluble fiber, which isn t absorbed by the body and passes right through the digestive system. On its journey through the digestive tract, the fiber binds cholesterol and prevents it from... 

Omega-3 fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The parent fatty acid of this group is alpha-linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid that the body is unable to... 

Alpha linolenic acid 0.75 g/1 Omega-3 fatty acid... 

Flax seed contains alpha-linolenic acid and hence is cardioprotective (see Chapter 8). 

Cunnane, S.C., Ganguli, S., and Menard, C. et al., High alpha-linolenic acid flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) some nutritional properties in humans, Br. J. Nutr., 69, 443-453, 1993. 

Baylin, A., Kabagambe, E.K., and Ascherio, A. 2003. Adipose tissue alpha-linolenic acid and non-fatal acute myocardial infarction in Costa Rica. Circulation 107, 1586-1591. 

Bemelmans, W.J.E., Broer, J., and Feskens, E.J.M. 2002. Effect of an increased intake of alpha-linolenic acid and group nutritional education on cardiovascular risk factors The Mediterranean alpha-linolenic enriched Groningen dietary intervention (MARGIN) study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 75, 221-227. 

Chan, J.K., McDonald, B.E., Gerrad, J.M., Bruce, V.M., Weaver, B.J., and Holub, B.J. 1993. Effect of dietary alpha-linolenic acid and its ratio to linoleic acid on platelet and plasma fatty acids and thrombogenesis. Lipids 28, 811-817. 

Kelley, D.S., Nelson, G.J., Love, J.E., Branch, L.B., Taylor, P.C., Schmidt, P.C., Mackey, B.E., and Iacono, J.M. 1993. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid alters tissue fatty acid composition, but not blood lipids, lipoproteins or coagulation status in humans. Lipids 28, 533-537. 

Klein, V., Chajes, V., and Germain, E. 2000. Low alpha-linolenic acid content of adipose breast tissue is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Eur. J. Cancer 36, 335. 

Manthey, F.A., Lee, R.E., and Hall, C.A., III 2002a. Stability of alpha-linolenic acid in macaroni containing ground flaxseed. In Proceedings of the 59th Flax Institute of the United States , pp. 14—20. Fargo, ND. 

Mantzioris, E., James, M.J., Gibson, R.A., and Cleland, L.G. 1994. Dietary substitution with an alpha-linolenic acid-rich vegetable oil increases eicosapentaenoic acid concentrations in tissues. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59, 1304-1309. 

Oikarinen, S, Pajari, A., Salminen, I., Heinonen, S.M., Adlercreutz, H., and Mutanen, M. 2005. Effects of a flaxseed mixture and plant oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid on the adenoma formation in multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min) mice. Br. J. Nutr. 94, 510-518. 

Prasad, K., Mantha, S.V., Muir, A.D., and Westcott, N.D. 1998. Reduction of hypercholesterolemic atherosclerosis by CDC-flaxseed with very low alpha-linolenic acid. Atherosclerosis 136, 367-375. Prasad, K., Mantha, S.V., Muir, A.D., and Westcott, N.D. 2000. Protective effect of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside against streptozotocin-induced diabetes and its mechanism. Mol. Cell. Bio-chem. 206, 141-150. 

Valsta, L.M., Salminen, I., Aro, A., and Mutanen, M. 1996. Alpha-linolenic acid in rapeseed oil partly compensates for the effect of fish restriction on plasma long chain n-3 fatty acids. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 50, 229-235. 

Vermunt, S.H.F., Mensink, R.P., and Simonis, M.M.G. 2000. Effects of dietary alpha-linolenic acid on the conversion and oxidation of 13C-alphalinolenic acid. Lipids 35, 137-142. 

Zhao, G., Etherton, T.D., and Martin, K.R. 2004. Dietary alpha-linolenic acid reduces inflammatory and lipid cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolemic men and women. J. Nutr. 134, 2991-2997. 

Alpha linolenic acid is an omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid. What does ome-ga-3 mean If linolenic acid has 18 carbon atoms and the positions of the double bonds are A9,12,15, what is the structure of alpha linolenic acid ... 

Takemura, N., Takahashi, K., Tanaka, H., Ihara, Y., Ikemoto, A., Fujii, Y., and Okuyama, EL, Dietary, but not topical, alpha-linolenic acid suppresses UVB-induced skin injury in hairless mice when compared with linoleic acids, Photochem. Photobiol., 76, 657, 2002. 

Booyens, J., Englebrecht, P., Le Roux, S., and Louwrens, C.C. 1984. Some effects of the essential fatty acid linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid and their metabolites gamma-linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and of prostaglandins A1 and El on the proliferation etc. Prostaglandins Leukot. Med. 15, 15-33. 

Kemp, P., Lander, D.J. 1984. Hydrogenation in vitro of alpha-linolenic acid to stearic-acid by mixed cultures of pure strains of rumen bacteria. J. Gen. Microbiol. 130, 527-533. 

Hosokawa, M., Hou, C. T., and Weisleder, D. 2003b. Production of novel tetrahydroxy-furanyl fatty acids from alpha-linolenic acid by Clavibacter sp strain ALA2. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 69, 3868-3873. 

Under the influence of omega-3 fetty acids, the pathway proceeds to produce series 1 prostaglandins, which are anti-inflammatory, and leukotrienes (less inflammatory). From alpha-linolenic acid, enzymes eventually synthesize eicosapentaenoic acid. Cyclooxygenase, given this substrate, can synthesize series 3 prostaglandins, which are also anti-inflammatory (Figures 12-6 and 12- 7). 

Figure 12-6 Eicosapentaenoic acid synthesis pathway from alpha-linolenic acid. Note that the enzymes necessary to the process are delta-6-desaturase and delta-5-desaturase. (From http //www.asthmaworld.org/OMEGA3.htm)...

You may hear about getting omega-3s from plant sources, especially flaxseed and flaxseed oil but also from soybeans, canola and walnut oils, and various kinds of nuts. All of those foods contain a far less potent form of the beneficial fatty acids called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). You may even see ALA supplements on sale in health food stores and pharmacies, but only a fraction, a small fraction, of ALA is converted by the body into EPA and DHA. Stick with the fish oils or the concentrated ethyl ester supplements. 

The essential dietary fatty acids include linolenic acid (LA, C18 2 co6) and alpha-linolenic acid (LN, C18 3 oo3). Mammals are missing a fatty acid desaturase capable of introducing a double bond between C9 and the methylene end of the fatty acid. Hence, to synthesize essential HUFAs, LA and LN are both required in the diet (Fig. lb). LA is the precursor to arachi-donic acid (AA, C20 4 006) and derivative eicosanoids, whereas LN is the precursor to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20 5 oo3), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA,C22 6 oo3), and oo3-derived... 

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) can be defined by classic definition, which defines EFAs as the fatty acids that are required for proper functioning of cells, but the body cannot synthesize them and, therefore, must be supplied by diet. According to this definition, there are only two EFAs linolenic acid (LA, C18 2, n-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, C18 3, n-3). The functional definition of EFAs includes the fatty acids that can correct the symptoms produced by elimination of all EFAs from the diet. According to this definition, LA, gamma linolenic acid (GLA, C18 3, n-6), and arachidonic acid (AA, C20 4, n-6) are EFAs of n-6 family (1, 2). 

Eicosatetraenoic acid (EteA 20 4, n-3) [where the mutant that had accumulated DHGLA (see above) was now grown with linseed oil (as a source of alpha-linolenic acid, 18 3, n-6) instead of the normal glucose this fatty acid was then channeled down the n-3 route of metabolism]. 

Alpha-linolenic acid (18 3n-3) is an 18-carbon fatty acid with three double bonds at carbons 9, 12, and 15. It is an essential n-3 fatty acid that is a required nutrient for human beings and can be obtained through diets including both plant and animal sources. Alpha-linolenic acid can be converted by elongases and desaturases to other beneficial n-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosa-hexaenoic acid (DHA), which are implicated in normal brain development, normal vision, and a decreased risk of heart disease. Novel dietary sources of n-3 fatty acids are desired for those who do not consume adequate amounts of fish or fish-based food products rich in long-chain n-3 fatty acids. This section summarized fruit, spice, and herb seed oils rich in a-linolenic acid (18 3n-3). These include black raspberry, red raspberry, boysenberry, marionberry, blueberry, cranberry, sea buckthorn, basil, and hemp seed oils. 

The cold-pressed blueberry seed oil investigated by Parry and Yu. (3) demonstrated a high concentration of n-3 fatty acids. Alpha linolenic acid was the sole source of the n-3 and comprised 25.1 % of the total fatty acids (Table 1). The ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids was 1.7 1. Linoleic acid (18 2n-6) was the most prevalent fatty acid in the blueberry seed oil followed by a-linolenic, oleic, palmitic (16 0), and stearic (18 0) acids (Table 1). The blueberry seed oil also showed a significantly higher antioxidant capacity compared with marionberry, black raspberry, cranberry, and pumpkin seed oils using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) test. Therefore, blueberry seed oil may serve as an excellent dietary source of n-3 fatty acids and natural antioxidants. 

---