The cardiovascular protective role of docosahexaenoic acid.
Date
1996
Authors
McLennan, P.
Howe, P.
Abeywardena, M.
Muggli, R.
Raederstorff, D.
Mano, M.
Rayner, T.
Head, R.
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Advisors
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Journal article
Citation
European Journal of Pharmacology, 1996; 300(1-2):83-89
Statement of Responsibility
Peter McLennan, Peter Howe, Mahinda Abeywardena, Reto Muggli, Daniel Raederstorff, Mark Mano, Tim Rayner and Richard Head
Conference Name
Abstract
Dietary fish oils rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can modulate a diverse range of factors contributing to cardiovascular disease. This study examined the relative roles of eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5 n-3; EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3; DHA) which are the principal n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids regarded as candidates for cardioprotective actions. At low dietary intakes (0.4–1.1% of energy (%en)), docosahexaenoic acid but not eicosapentaenoic acid inhibited ischaemia-induced cardiac arrhythmias. At intakes of 3.9–10.0%en, docosahexaenoic acid was more effective than eicosapentaenoic acid at retarding hypertension development in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and inhibiting thromboxane-like vasoconstrictor responses in aortas from SHR. In stroke-prone SHR with established hypertension, docosahexaenoic acid (3.9–10.0%en) retarded the development of salt-loading induced proteinuria but eicosapentaenoic acid alone was ineffective. The results demonstrate that purified n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids mimic the cardiovascular actions of fish oils and imply that docosahexaenoic acid may be the principal active component conferring cardiovascular protection.
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© 1996 Elsevier Science B.V