Essential fatty acid metabolism

To date there are no true inborn errors associated with essential fatty acid metabolism. However, we do know that the final step of DHA formation is the peroxisomal beta-oxidation of a homologous C24 fatty acid [7]. Consequently, patients with a generalised defect of peroxisomal function, such as Zellweger syndrome, are prone to develop deficiencies of essential fatty acids including DHA [9]. 

Horrobin, D.F. 2000. Essential fatty acid metabolism and its modification in atopic eczema. Am J Clin Nutr 71 367-372. 

Evans DR, Parikh W, Khan MM, Coussons C, Buckley PF, et al. 2003. Red blood cell membrane essential fatty acid metabolism in early psychotic patients following... 

Stevens, L.J., Zentall, S.S., Abate, M.L., Kuczek, T., and Burgess, J.R. (1995) Essential fatty acid metabolism in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 62 761-768 (Abstract). 

Pawlosky R, Barnes A, Salem N Jr. Essential fatty acid metabolism in the feline relationship between hver and brain production of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. J Lipid Res 1994 35(11), 2032-2040. 

Uauy RM, Treen M, Hoffman DR. Essential fatty acid metabolism and requirements during development. Semin Perinatol 1989 13 118-130. 

Disturbances of Essential Fatty Acid Metabolism in Neural Complications of Diabetes... 

Successful treatment of the defects in the diabetic nerve and its vasculature that involve essential fatty acid metabolism will almost certainly require combination therapies. The coadministration of antioxidants and a source of GLA, which has shown promise thus far, can be expected to lead to the development and testing of more potent mixtures or covalent compounds. 

Milles DE, Huang YS, Narce M, Poisson JP. Psychosocial stress catecholamines, and essential fatty acid metabolism in rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1994 205( 1 ) 56—61. 

Dunbar, L.M., and Bailey, J.M. (1975) Enzyme Deletions and Essential Fatty Acid Metabolism in Cultured Cells, J. Biol. Chem. 250,1152-164. 

Horrolein, H. F. and Manku, M. S. 1987, Premenstrual syndrome a disorder of essential fatty acid metabolism , paper presented at 2nd International Symposium on Postpartum Menopausal Mood Disorders, Kiawah Island, SC. 

In addition, in vivo C MR spectroscopy has been applied to the study of adipose tissue composition in disease. Children with cystic fibrosis were shown to have lower levels of polyunsaturated adipose tissue fatty acids than healthy children, possibly owing to a disorder in essential fatty acid metabolism that may be partly responsible for the development of the disease. Further studies with in vivo MRS in disease have shown a significant increase in saturated adipose tissue fatty acids following transplantation and subsequent weight gain in malnourished patients with liver cirrhosis. It was suggested that this increase in saturated fatty acids may be secondary to a general repletion of membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids or the use of essential fatty acids for biosynthesis of eicosanoids in the postoperative period. 

Figure 2 Essential fatty acid metabolism desaturation and elongation of n-6 and n-3.

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