Nutrigenomic effects of omega‐3 fatty acids

Abstract

The health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have been recognized for more than 40 years, nevertheless, research gaps still remain regarding their mechanisms of action. This is certainly due to the complexity of action of omega-3 fatty acids which have pleiotropic effects at the cellular level, and act either directly or indirectly through a large array of oxygenated metabolites. In this context, integrated approaches are essential to get an overview of the complexity of actions on a variety of molecular targets. Nutrigenomics is defined as the study of the genome-wide influence of nutrition and the subsequent responses in transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Recent nutrigenomic studies contributed to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms related to the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Further studies should now focus on the documented major biological pathways modulated by omega-3 fatty acids and on the identification of their bioactive metabolites.

N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids as a Nutritional Support of the Reproductive and Immune System of Cattle—A Review

“…N-3 PUFAs act as ligands for transcription factors, which are responsible for regulating genes involved in metabolic and developmental processes [19]. Their action also affects the transcriptome, which is the complete set of all nucleic acid molecules in the cell, thus showing nutrigenomic effects [20]. This contributes to regulating metabolic processes occurring in the body and improving the health of ruminant animals [21,22].…”

Monooxygenase system in Guerin’s carcinoma of rats under conditions of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids administration

“…Consumed ω-3 PUFAs are integrated into cellular membranes and then metabolized in by cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450 (CYP) [4]. ω-3 PUFAs conversion to oxygenated products by CYP-catalyzed metabolic pathway is one of the proposed mechanisms of their antitumor effects [5], as these products may directly or indirectly affect growth and proliferation of cancer cells [6,7]. Moreover, as components of membranes, ω-3 PUFAs help maintain functional state of components of monooxygenase system (MOS) in endoplasmic reticulum, which affects anticancer drug metabolism.…”