Essential fatty acids defidency

AU-ds 11,14,17-Eicosatrienoic Mead 20 3n-9 Synthesized from oleic acid Indicator of essential fatty acid defidency... 

The measurements of the total amount of various essential fatty acids as co-3 fatty acids in plasma, serum, or erythrocyte membrane phospholipids have been indicated as useful markers of essential polyunsaturated fatty adds. Essential fatty acid deficiency is a clinical condition that derives from inadequate status of co-3 and co-6 fatty acids however, the symptoms are nonspecific and may not present prior to marginal essential fatty acid status. Widely used biomarkers for bicx hemi( essai-tial fatty acid deficiency are mead acid and the triene/tetraene ratio. Howcvct, the total plasma triene/tetraene ratio has been considered the gold standard for essential fatty acid deficiency. Mead acid, or 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid (5,8,11-20 3 co-9) is synthesized from endogenous oleic acid and is increased when there is insufficient concentrations of linoleic and a-linolenic acid to meet the needs of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Under normal conditions only trace amounts of mead acid are found in plasma. EPA and DHA inhibit mead acid synthesis. Mead acid measurement is an indicator of essential fatty acid deficiency state, while essential fatty add depletion is associated with a decrease in plasma hnoleate and arachidonate percentages. Assessment of long-term essential fatty acid intake is measured in adipose tissue, and it is considered the best indicator because of its slow tumover. - Cutoff values for the assessment of essential fatty adds and to-3 fatty acid status in erythrocytes have been reported. Proposed cutoff values for children older than 0.2 years are 0.46 mol% 20 3 co-9 (mead acid) for early suspicion of essential fatty acid defidency, 0.068 mol/mol docosapentaenoic/arachidonic acid... 

A. Pancreatic lipase catalyzes the breakdown of dietary triacylglycerols into free fatty acids and 2-monoacylglycerols, an essential step in the digestion of dietary lipids. Since prostaglandins are produced from linoleate, an essential fatty add, a deficiency of pancreatic lipase would eventually cause a prostaglandin defidency. 

Mammals do not have the capadty to completely synthesize dther of these two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids because they c annot desaturate the 16- or 18-carbon products of fatty add synthesis any further than nine carbons from the carboxyl end. Linoleic acid and a-linolenic add are the two main representative compoimds of the co-6 and co-3 fatty acids and are essential fatty adds because they prevent defidency symptoms and cannot be synthesized by humans therefore, they need to be obtained from the diet. These two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be intercxjnverted, have different biochemical roles, - and are precursors of other polyunsamrated fatty adds (Table 4.1). Linoldc add is a precursor for arachi-donic acid and eicosanoids. a-Linolenic acid is a precursor for DHA. Linoleic add. 

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