Plasma Saturated and Monounsaturated Fatty Acids in Behçet's Disease

The role of fatty acids in patients with Behçet's disease and their association with thrombosis

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic disease with unknown etiopathogenesis and varying disease presentations. Fatty acids (FA) are essential biological compounds that are involved in complex metabolic pathways. They may contribute to inflammation and endothelial dysfunction by participating in many signaling pathways. Increased FAs levels are associated with an increased risk for various diseases. This study aimed to determine the relationship between FA, BD, and thrombotic complications. A total of 97 patients were recruited from the rheumatology department of a single center as a case-control study. The participants were divided into three groups: 36 patients with BD with thrombosis (Group 1), 24 patients with BD without thrombosis (Group 2), and 37 age- and sex-matched controls (Group 3). The analysis of 37 different FA with carbon numbers in the range of (4:0) and (24:1) in the samples were analyzed and compared between groups. Myristic acid (MA), methyl eicosatrienoate, and stearic acid (STA) levels were found to be significantly higher in BD with thrombosis than in BD without thrombosis, and palmitic acid (PA) levels were significantly higher in BD with thrombosis than in healthy individuals. MA was found to be a significant marker for differentiating between thrombotic BD. PA and STA are important markers for detecting thrombotic BD. In BD, lipotoxicity created by FA, such as PA, STA, and MA, plays a role as an inducer of inflammation and thrombosis through various mechanisms.

Analysis of the role of palmitoleic acid in acute anterior uveitis

PURPOSE

To study the role of palmitoleic acid (PA) in the pathogenesis of acute anterior uveitis (AAU).

METHODS

PA levels in feces from AAU patients were measured by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and compared with samples obtained from healthy individuals. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry (FCM) were used to assess the effect of PA on dendritic cells (DCs) and CD4⁺T cells obtained from mice, AAU patients and healthy individuals. C57BL/6 mice were fed with PA or vehicle and experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) was induced with a human retinal IRBP651-670 peptide. Disease severity of EAU was evaluated by clinical manifestation and histology. Differentiation of splenic Type 1 helper T cells (Th1) and Th17 cells was evaluated by FCM. Tandem mass tag (TMT)-based proteomics analysis was used to identify differentially expressed proteins following incubation of DCs with PA.

RESULTS

The fecal concentration of PA was increased in AAU patients as compared with healthy individuals. In vitro, PA promoted apoptosis of DCs and inhibited the secretion of TNF-α from mouse bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) as well as in DCs from AAU patients and healthy individuals. It only decreased DCs surface marker expression and IL-12p70 secretion in BMDCs and healthy individuals DCs but not in AAU patient DCs. PA-treated BMDCs inhibited Th cell differentiation from mouse naïve CD4⁺T cells and IL-17 and IFN-γ secretion in co-culture supernatants. PA also inhibited the differentiation of Th cells and secretion of IFN-γ and IL-17 in CD4⁺T cells from mice, AAU patients and healthy individuals. In vivo, PA-treated EAU mice showed milder clinical and histopathological intraocular manifestations as compared with the control group. PA feeding inhibited differentiation of splenic Th17 cells, whereas Th1 cells were not affected. Up to 30 upregulated and 77 downregulated proteins were identified when comparing PA-treated DCs with controls.

CONCLUSION

An increased expression of fecal PA was observed in AAU patients. PA was shown to have immunoregulatory effects on DCs and CD4⁺T cells and attenuated disease severity in EAU mice.

New Insights on the Nutrition Status and Antioxidant Capacity in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifactorial disease with unknown etiology. It is assumed to result from interplay between genetic and environmental factors, including nutrition. We hypothesized that there are differences in nutritional parameters between MS patients and healthy controls. Methods: We examined 63 MS patients and 83 healthy controls. Nutritional status was determined by a dietary questionnaire, blood tests, quantification of cell membrane fatty acids, and serum antioxidant capacity. Results: We found that MS patients consumed a more limited diet compared with the healthy group, indicated by a lower average of 31 nutrients and by consumption levels of zinc and thiamine below the recommended daily intake. Both consumption and measured iron values were significantly lower in MS patients, with the lowest measures in the severe MS group. Long saturated fatty acids (>C16) were significantly lower in MS patients, while palmitic and palmitoleic acids were both higher. Serum total antioxidant capacity was significantly lower in the MS group compared with healthy controls, with the lowest measures in patients with severe MS. Conclusions: This study points to a possible correlation between nutritional status and MS. Understanding the clinical meaning of these findings will potentially allow for the development of future personalized dietary interventions as part of MS treatment.