Transcriptome-based identification of antioxidative gene expression after fish oil supplementation in normo- and dyslipidemic men

authored by

Simone Schmidt, Frank Stahl, Kai Oliver Mutz, Thomas Scheper, Andreas Hahn, Jan Philipp Schuchardt

Abstract

Background: The beneficial effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), especially in dyslipidemic subjects with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, are widely described in the literature. A lot of effects of n-3 PUFAs and their oxidized metabolites are triggered by regulating the expression of genes. Currently, it is uncertain if the administration of n-3 PUFAs results in different expression changes of genes related to antioxidative mechanisms in normo- and dyslipidemic subjects, which may partly explain their cardioprotective effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation on expression changes of genes involved in oxidative processes. Methods: Ten normo- and ten dyslipidemic men were supplemented for twelve weeks with fish oil capsules, providing 1.14 g docosahexaenoic acid and 1.56 g eicosapentaenoic acid. Gene expression levels were determined by whole genome microarray analysis and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: Using microarrays, we discovered an increased expression of antioxidative enzymes and a decreased expression of pro-oxidative and tissue enzymes, such as cytochrome P450 enzymes and matrix metalloproteinases, in both normo- and dyslipidemic men. An up-regulation of catalase and heme oxigenase 2 in both normo- and dyslipidemic subjects and an up-regulation of cytochrome P450 enzyme 1A2 only in dyslipidemic subjects could be observed by qRT-PCR analysis. Conclusions: Supplementation of normo- and dyslipidemic subjects with n-3 PUFAs changed the expression of genes related to oxidative processes, which may suggest antioxidative and potential cardioprotective effects of n-3 PUFAs. Further studies combining genetic and metabolic endpoints are needed to verify the regulative effects of n-3 PUFAs in antioxidative gene expression to better understand their beneficial effects in health and disease prevention.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Technical Chemistry
Institute of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Nutrition Physiology and Human Nutrition Section

Type

Article

Journal

Nutrition and Metabolism

Volume

9

Pages

45

ISSN

1743-7075

Publication date

23.05.2012

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine (miscellaneous), Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Nutrition and Dietetics

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-45 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-45 (Access: Unknown)