Investigation of membrane fatty acid profiles in erythrocytes of patients with stable coronary artery disease

Fatty acid composition in erythrocytes and coronary artery disease risk: a case-control study in China

Background and aims: There is limited and conflicting evidence about the association of erythrocyte fatty acids with coronary artery disease (CAD), particularly in China where the CAD rates are high. Our study aimed to explore the association between erythrocyte fatty acid composition and CAD risk in Chinese adults. Methods: Erythrocyte fatty acids of 314 CAD patients and 314 matched controls were measured by gas chromatography. Multivariable conditional logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to explore the odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (OR, 95% CI) and potential association between erythrocyte fatty acids and CAD risk. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze further the potential role of various erythrocyte fatty acid patterns in relation to CAD risk. Results: Significant inverse associations were observed between high levels of erythrocyte total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) [ORT3-T1 = 0.18 (0.12, 0.28)], monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) [ORT3-T1 = 0.21 (0.13, 0.32)], and the risk of CAD. Conversely, levels of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFAs) were positively associated with CAD risk [ORT3-T1 = 3.33 (2.18, 5.13), ORT3-T1 = 1.61 (1.06, 2.43)]. No significant association was observed between CAD risk and total trans fatty acids. Additionally, the PCA identifies four new fatty acid patterns (FAPs). The risk of CAD was significantly positively associated with FAP1 and FAP2, while being negatively correlated with FAP3 and FAP4. Conclusion: The different types of erythrocyte fatty acids may significantly alter susceptibility to CAD. Elevated levels of n-3-PUFAs and MUFAs are considered as protective biomarkers against CAD, while SFAs and n-6 PUFAs may be associated with higher CAD risk in Chinese adults. The risk of CAD was positively associated with FAP1 and FAP2, and negatively associated with FAP3 and FAP4. Combinations of erythrocyte fatty acids may be more important markers of CAD development than individual fatty acids or their subgroups.

The effect of FADS2 gene rs174583 polymorphism on desaturase activities, fatty acid profile, insulin resistance, biochemical indices, and incidence of type 2 diabetes

Background:

In this study, we investigated the associations of erythrocytes fatty acid composition, activities of delta-5 desaturase (D5D) and delta-6 desaturase (D6D), and other metabolic risk factors, with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk to determine if rs174583 polymorphism of FADS2 gene had any effect on these associations.

Materials and Methods:

Fatty acid profile of erythrocytes was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in 95 T2D patients and 95 apparently healthy participants. The genotypes of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of FADS2 gene were determined using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Other biochemical parameters were measured in the serum using standard analytical procedures.

Results:

D6D activity was increased (P < 0.001) and D5D activity was decreased in T2D patients (P < 0.001) compared to controls. Homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was positively correlated with D6D (r = 0.34, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with D5D (r = −0.19, P = 0.02). Palmitic acid (P < 0.001) and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (P = 0.03) were higher and linoleic acid (P < 0.001) and arachidonic acid (AA) (P < 0.001) were lower in T2D patients. The distribution of rs174583 genotypes which includes C/T, C/C, and T/T was not different in the two groups (P = 0.63).

Conclusion:

In the population studied, there was a strong association in the erythrocytes fatty acid composition, D5D and D6D activities and other metabolic risk factors between non-T2D and T2D patients. In addition, there was a strong association in erythrocytes DGLA and AA contents and D5D activities between rs174583 genotypes in all participants. However, the distribution of rs174583 genotypes did not differ significantly between T2D patient and controls, and it did not appear to be an association between rs174583 SNP and incident of T2D.