Polyunsaturated fatty acids biological activities

Sea animals are rich in soluble dietary fibers, proteins, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, with low caloric value. Polysaccharides from marine animals have been reported to possess biological activities with potential medicinal values in addition to their current status as a source of dietary fibers and prebiotics. Moreover, they have a lot of dietary fiber, which lowers blood cholesterol, and iodine, which improves metabolism, vascular and cardiac action, body temperature, and perspiration regulation, and are effective in... 

Schmittel M, Ghorai MK (2001) Reactivity patterns of radical ions - a unifying picture of radical-anion and radical-cation transformations. In Balzani V (ed) Electron transfer in chemistry, vol 2. Organic molecules. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp 5-54 Schoneich C, Bonifacic M, Dillinger U, Asmus K-D (1990) Hydrogen abstraction by thiyl radicals from activated C-H-bond of alcohols, ethers and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In Chatgilialoglu C, Asmus K-D (eds) Sulfur-centered reactive intermediates in chemistry and biology. Plenum, New York, pp 367-376... 

Because arachidonic acid and compounds of the 2 series are predominant in humans, we direct our consideration primarily to these compounds, keeping in mind that biologically active 1 and 3 series compounds are also produced. Likewise, it is far beyond the scope of our discussion here to consider all the possible products of the C20 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their metabolites. 

According to the reports describing metabolic pathways involved in the conversion of linoleic acid to trihydroxy fatty acids, several intermediate reaction products, such as trihydroxy-, hydroperoxy-, dihydroxy-, and hydroxyepoxy-octadecenoate, were involved (Kato et al., 1984,1986). Those metabolites of linoleic acid showed distinct biological functions according to their intermediate structures, including mono-, di-, trihydroxy-octadecenoic acid, and hydroperoxy-, epoxy-forms (Kato et al., 1984 Blair, 2001 Gobel et al., 2002 Hou and Forman, 2000). In an effort to understand the overall mechanism involved in the varied biological functions of the complicated reaction metabolites of bio-converted polyunsaturated fatty acids, Kim et al. (2006) studied the oxidative activities on fish oil, of crude extracts produced by PR3 from... 

Gill, I., and Valivety, R. 1997a. Polyunsaturated fatty acids. I. Occurrence, biological activities and applications. Trends Biotechnol., 15, 401 109. 

The isoprostanes are a unique series of prostaglandin-like compounds formed in vivo via a nonenzymatic mechanism involving the free radical-initiated peroxidation of arachidonic acid. This article summarizes our current knowledge of these compounds. Herein, a historical account of their discovery and the mechanism of their formation are described. Methods by which these compounds can be analyzed and quantified are also discussed, and the use of these molecules as biomarkers of in vivo oxidant stress is summarized. In addition to being accurate indices of lipid peroxidation, some isoprostanes possess potent biological activity. This activity will be discussed in detail. Finally, in more recent years, isoprostane-like compounds have been shown to be formed from polyunsaturated fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. These findings will be summarized as well. 

Lipid hydroeicosatetraenoic (HETE) and hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HPETE) are important products of both enzymatic processes and autooxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. They appear to exhibit biological activity in disease processes and in ageing. 

Holman R. Biological activities of and requirements for polyunsaturated fatty acids. Prog Chem Fats Other... 

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