TITLE:
Evaluation of the Anti-Inflammatory Activities of 5,8,11-cis-Eicosatrienoic Acid
AUTHORS:
Lun-Chung Hsu, Zhi-Hong Wen, Han-Min Chen, Han-Tzo Lin, Chi-Ming Chiu, Hui-Chung Wu
KEYWORDS:
5, 8, 11-cis-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Anti-Inflammatory Activities; COX-2; iNOS; PUFAs
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.4 No.9A,
August
30,
2013
ABSTRACT:
The main eicosanoids inflammatory
mediators, prostaglandins and leukotrienes, are both generated from arachidonic
acid (AA; 20:4 n-6). AA is a member of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
Numerous studies have demonstrated that various contents of PUFAs can modulate
the inflammatory responses. However, fewer studies have examined n-9PUFAs and
their effects on the inflammatory responses. In the present study, the role of 5,8,11-cis-eicosatrienoic acid (ETrA; 20:3 n-9, also called Mead acid) in the inflammatory
responses has been investigated. The anti-inflammatory
activities of ETrA were examined using
an in vitro macrophage system
and the inhibitory effect was confirmed by western blot analysis for iNOS and
COX-2 expressions. The interactions
between ETrA and COX-2 protein were simulated
to produce a computer modeling protein-ligand complexes and the results suggest
a possible mechanism for the effects of ETrA. In this study, we described a significant inhibition of the
inflammatory activities initiated by ETrA.
Since ETrA is a substance presented in the tissues of young animals, we therefore anticipate that ETrA can be utilized as a natural
therapeutic supplement to inhibit inflammatory activities.