Lipid Adaptation of Shrimp Rimicaris exoculata in Hydrothermal Vent

The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata is the most abundant species in hydrothermal vents. Lipids, the component of membranes, play an important role in maintaining their function normally in such extreme environments. In order to understand the lipid adaptation of R. exoculata (HV shrimp) to hydrothermal vents, we compared its lipid profile with the coastal shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (EZ shrimp) which lives in the euphotic zone, using ultra performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. As a result, the following lipid adaptation can be observed. (1) The proportion of 16:1 and 18:1, and non‐methylene interrupted fatty acid (48.9 and 6.2 %) in HV shrimp was higher than that in EZ shrimp (12.7 and 0 %). While highly‐unsaturated fatty acids were only present in the EZ shrimp. (2) Ceramide and sphingomyelin in the HV shrimp were enriched in d14:1 long chain base (96.5 and 100 %) and unsaturated fatty acids (67.1 and 57.7 %). While in the EZ shrimp, ceramide and sphingomyelin had the tendency to contain d16:1 long chain base (68.7 and 75 %) and saturated fatty acids (100 and 100 %). (3) Triacylglycerol content (1.998 ± 0.005 nmol/mg) in the HV shrimp was higher than that in the EZ shrimp (0.092 ± 0.005 nmol/mg). (4) Phosphatidylinositol and diacylglycerol containing highly‐unsaturated fatty acids were absent from the HV shrimp. (5) Lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine were rarely detected in the HV shrimp. A possible reason for such differences was the result of food resources and inhabiting environments. Therefore, these lipid classes mentioned above may be the biomarkers to compare the organisms from different environments, which will be benefit for the further exploitation of the hydrothermal environment.     

A MALDI MS Investigation of the Lysophosphatidylcholine/Phosphatidylcholine Ratio in Human Spermatozoa and Erythrocytes as a Useful Fertility Marker

The human spermatozoa membrane is characterized by a unique fatty acyl composition with significant amounts of highly unsaturated fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (22:6), whereby phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) (16:0/22:6) is the most abundant glycerophospholipid. The large amount of highly unsaturated fatty acyl residues is crucial for the fluidity of the membrane and, therefore, the successful fertilization process. Consequently, however, the spermatozoa are very sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated under conditions of “oxidative stress” and key players in many pathological conditions. Lipid oxidation of the sperm membrane is accompanied by the loss of the oxidatively modified unsaturated residue (normally in the sn-2 position) and the generation of saturated lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPtdCho). Although other lysolipids are also generated, LysoPtdCho is the “marker” lipid of choice due to the high abundance of PtdCho. In particular, obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m²) is characterized by increased ROS generation and negatively affects the reproductive potential. We will show here that the LysoPtdCho/PtdCho ratio can be easily determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The data found do correlate with clinical markers of sperm quality. A very interesting aspect is that the LysoPtdCho/PtdCho ratios determined in the spermatozoa extracts correlate with the LysoPtdCho/PtdCho values determined in the organic extracts of erythrocytes. Thus, there is no absolute need for a sperm investigation, but an estimation of the fertilizing ability of the corresponding male could be also made directly from the blood which is more readily available than the spermatozoa.     

Effects of thermal stressing on saturated vegetable oils and isolated triacylglycerols ‐ product analysis by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry,NMR and IR spectroscopy

It is well‐known that triacylglycerols in vegetable oils undergo slow oxidative modifications upon storage particularly at elevated temperatures. This has been shown primarily for oils with unsaturated fatty acid residues that are most sensitive towards oxidation. Saturated oils, however, were by far less investigated. In the present study saturated oils (coconut oil) as well as isolated triacylglycerols were exposed to defined thermal stressing and the resulting products were investigated in dependence on temperature and the heating period. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption and ionization spectrometry, ¹³C and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy were used for the characterization of the native as well as the thermally stressed oil samples. These methods were used since they provide both, fast and reliable information on oil composition and can be performed faster than other more established methods. We found that the degradation mechanism of saturated fatty acids is completely different from unsaturated fatty acids. Whereas unsaturated oils are primarily depleted under the cleavage of the double bonds, saturated oils undergo a conversion of one methylene group into a carbonyl group. This was independently demonstrated by all applied methods for the triacylglycerols as well as for the free fatty acids derived after saponification.     

Homeostatic control of membrane fatty acid composition in the rat after dietary lipid treatment

Diets in which both the lipid content and composition (polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio) were varied were fed to rats for 20 weeks, and the effects on the tissue lipid profiles were determined. The fatty acid profile of the plasma lipids, and the phospholipid fatty acids of the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions of liver, heart, kidney and brain, as well as erythrocyte membranes were determined. Despite large differences in the level and type of lipid present in the experimental diets and in the proportion of saturated fatty acids in the plasma lipids in response to the various diets, there was little effect on the proportion of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipids of the various membranes examined. The major effect of altering the dietary level of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids was on the ratio of the ω6/ω3 series of unsaturated fatty acids in the membrane lipids. This change occurred in all tissues except the brain, in which only a small response to altered dietary lipid intake was observed. The ω6/ω3 ratio was elevated upon feeding a diet rich in ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, but decreased when a diet rich in saturated fatty acids was fed. The failure to significantly alter membrane lipid saturation/unsaturation in the tissues examined would suggest that a homeostatic mechanism is operative in biological membranes and may act to buffer membranes from the effects of changes in the nature of the dietary lipid intake.     

Lipid composition of further purified bovine liver nuclear membranes

The lipid content, distribution and fatty acid composition of highly purified bovine liver nuclear membranes was determined and compared to those of microsomes prepared in parallel. Contrasted with microsomes, nuclear membranes while containing nearly the same levels of lipid had more cholesterol and total neutral lipid and less phospholipid. Phospholipid and neutral lipid patterns generally were similar for the two types of membranes. The same fatty acids, in similar proportions, were observed in respective total lipid, total polar lipid, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine fractions of the two membrane types. The microsomal lipid fractions contained slightly greater percentages of unsaturated fatty acids. With respect to previous results from preparations contaminated with nonmenbranous nuclear material, purified fractions contained more total lipid on a protein basis and more total unsaturated fatty acids. Only minor differences in levels and distribution of phospholipids and neutral lipids were observed between the crude and highly purified fractions. Purdue University AES Journal Paper No. 4482.     

Lipid composition of the membrane released after an in vitro acrosome reaction of epididymal boar sperm

Prior to fertilization, mammalian sperm must undergo the acrosome reaction, which involves modifications of the plasma and outer acrosomal membranes followed by vesiculation and release of the membranes. The membrane fraction that was released from caudal boar sperm undergoing an in vitro acrosome-like reaction was isolated and characterized with respect to density, marker enzymes and lipid composition. This membrane had a lower phospholipid/protein ratio (mg/mg) than the sperm plasma membrane, whereas both membranes had similar molar sterol/phospholipid ratios. The major phospholipid was sphingomyelin, followed by phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, whereas in the plasma membrane the order was reversed; the two major phosphoglycerides contained alkylacyl and alkenylacyl species in addition to the diacyl species. The released membrane also contained lower amounts of cholesterol sulfate and unsaturated fatty acids than the plasma membranes. These results, in combination with our studies on the changes of the sperm membranes during maturation and acrosome reaction, will allow a better understanding of the mechanism of the sperm acrosome reaction.     

Determination of the adulteration of butter

The adulteration of butter is a serious problem due to economic advantages taken by replacing expensive milk fat with cheaper oil without informing the customers. The authentication of milk fat methods include analysis of bulk components, especially triacylglycerols, fatty acids, sterols and tocopherols. Fatty acid and sterol composition was analysed by using GC‐MS. TAG and tocopherol profiles were examined by HPLC with diode array (DAD) and fluorescence detectors (FLDs). In addition, identification of selected TAG of butter fat was conducted by LC‐atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI)/MS technique. The lipid composition of 16 different butters available on Polish market were investigated. The cholesterol content in butter fat ranged from 176.8 to 264.8 mg/100 g of fat and in two samples of milk fat β‐sitosterol was found. The total saturated fatty acid (SFA) content in milk fat was 67.1–73.5%, monounsaturated fatty acid 24.5–30.5% and polyunsaturated fatty acid was 1.2–2.0%. Abnormalities in fatty acid profiles, e.g. high concentration of linoleic fatty acid, were found in two butters. These abnormalities were also determined in TAG profiles. The examination of tocopherols in butter fat confirmed that two products were adulterated by the addition of plant oils because they contained δ‐tocopherol which is typical for plant origin foodstuffs. The methods described are useful for investigating milk fat adulterations, and the most efficient are analysis of sterols and tocopherols composition. Practical applications: The described methods are useful for investigating adulteration of milk fat. Traditional strategies rely on examination of fatty acids methyl esters and TAG; these methods have some disadvantages. Due to the variability of fatty acid composition of milk fat and because TAG analysis is complex and time consuming, FA analysis is not an efficient approach for butter authentication. The most efficient method for butter authentication is qualitative and quantitative analysis of sterols and tocopherols. This analysis will determine if components of plant origin were used for butter production.     

Nontargeted Lipidomic Characterization of Porcine Organs Using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography and Off-Line Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography–Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Lipids form a significant part of animal organs and they are responsible for important biological functions, such as semi‐permeability and fluidity of membranes, signaling activity, anti‐inflammatory processes, etc. We have performed a comprehensive nontargeted lipidomic characterization of porcine brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, spinal cord, spleen, and stomach using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI/MS) to describe the representation of individual lipid classes in these organs. Detailed information on identified lipid species inside classes are obtained based on relative abundances of deprotonated molecules [M?H]^? in the negative‐ion ESI mass spectra, which provides important knowledge on phosphatidylethanolamines and their different forms of fatty acyl linkage (ethers and plasmalogens), phosphatidylinositols, and hexosylceramides containing nonhydroxy‐ and hydroxy‐fatty acyls. The detailed analysis of identified lipid classes using reversed‐phase liquid chromatography in the second dimension was performed for porcine brain to determine more than 160 individual lipid species containing attached fatty acyls of different acyl chain length, double‐bond number, and positions on the glycerol skeleton. The fatty acid composition of porcine organs is determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection after the transesterification with sodium methoxide.     

Fatty acid profile in baby food products

The fatty acid composition in the lipid phase of 64 commercially available baby food products, of two different batches each, was analyzed. They comprised vegetable products for babies of five, eight, and twelve months and fruit and cereal products of three different brands. The comparison of the composition of the saturated (C18:0, C16:0, C14:0, C12:0, C10:0), the unsaturated monoenoic (C18:1n9 and C16:1n7) and the polyenoic (C18:2n6 and C18:3n3) fatty acids was determined by gas chromatography. All analyzed baby food products provided well‐balanced amounts of saturated fatty acids on the one hand (saturated fatty acids (SFA) 31—37% of total fatty acids) and unsaturated fatty acids on the other hand (monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) 23—26% and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) 38—46% of total fatty acids, respectively). The P/S‐ratio in vegetable products of five months reached a value of 1.5, in all other analyzed products it was around 1. The n‐6:n‐3‐ratio was 10:1 in fruit and cereal products, followed by 11.6:1 in vegetable products of eight and twelve months and 13.5:1 in the group of vegetable products of five months. Since there is a lack of arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in baby food products, it might be of advantage to consider whether such products should be supplemented by these long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids.     

Lipids of subcellular particles

Methods for isolation and characterization of subcellular particles as well as procedures for analysis of lipid class composition are discussed. The literature on distribution of lipids in subcellular particles is then reviewed. Pertinent new data from our laboratories are presented as well. The isolated particles are related to the organelles to which they correspond in the cell and are discussed with regard to heterogeneity and morphological integrity. Confusion can arise with regard to subcellular particles unless it is appreciated that: 1) preparation of particles of high purity generally requires more than the classical differential centrifugation scheme (both differential and gradient centrifugation may be required); 2) it is hazardous to apply exactly the same procedure for all tissues; 3) all subcellular fractions must be thoroughly characterized. The more recently devised DEAE cellulose column and thin-layer chromatographic procedures for analysis of lipid class composition are more reliable than the older hydrolytic or silicie acid column or paper chromatographic techniques. The chief lipid components of mitochondria from all organs and species are lecithin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and cardiolipin (diphosphatidyl glycerol). Despite the fact that reports in the literature are in agreement that phosphatidyl inositol is a major component of mitochondria, it is concluded on the basis of new data obtained from highly purified mitochondria and improved analytical methods that phosphatidyl inositol is not a major component of mitochondria. The presence of a relatively large amount of phosphatidyl inositol in mitochondrial preparations is probably related in part to contamination with other particles. Some analytical procedures are demonstrated to give erroneous values for this lipid class. It is also concluded that phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidic acid, sphingomyelin, cerebrosides, and lysophosphatides, reported to occur in mitochondria, are not characteristic mitochondrial components and furthermore that the large amount of uncharacterized mitochondrial phospholipid reported is actually an analytical artifact. Microsomes appear to be similar to mitochondria except that cardiolipin is either low in or absent from microsomes. Available data indicate nuclei to be rather similar to mitochondria and microsomes, at least in some organs. Studies of the fatty acids of subcellular particles indicate that different particles from one organ have very similar fatty acid compositions. It is clear that there are marked variations in fatty acid composition of particles from different organs and from different species. Differences in dietary fat may be associated with marked changes in fatty acid composition, although brain mitochondrial lipids are largely unchanged. Each lipid class from mitochondria of most organs appears to have a fairly characteristic fatty acid composition. Cardiolipin from some organs contains primarily linoleic acid, phosphatidyl ethanolamine contains large amounts of linoleic and higher polyunsaturates, and lecithin is similar to phosphatidyl ethanolamine except that it does not contain as much arachidonic acid and/or other highly unsaturated fatty acids. New data, the first to be reported, are presented for heart mitochondrial cardiolipin, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and lecithin. It is concluded that there are two basically different types of membranous structures. Myelin is the chief representative of the metabolically stable type of membrane structure while mitochondria represent the more labile type. The two types of membranes have very different in vivo properties and very different lipid compositions. Myelin is characterized by a high content of cholesterol and sphingolipids with more long chain saturated or monoenoic fatty acids while mitochondria are characterized by a low cholesterol content, little or no sphingolipid, and highly unsaturated fatty acids. It is clear that formulations of the myelin type membrane structure such as that of Vandenheuvel cannot apply to mitochondria. It is postulated that membrane structures intermediate between the extremes represented by myelin and mitochondria exist.     

Chemical composition of Pinus sibirica nut oils

The chemical composition of oil obtained from Pinus sibirica was investigated. The nonpolar lipids were the predominant lipid fraction while the triacylglycerols were the major component of this fraction. α‐ and γ‐tocopherols were the dominant tocopherols in pine oils. Eleven fatty acids (FA) were identified in pine nut oil. The unsaturated FA comprised over 90% of the total FA. Of these, polyunsaturated FA accounted for 66% of the total FA. 18:2 and 18:3 acids were the dominant unsaturated FA, while palmitic and stearic acids were the major saturated FA. Three unusual FA, namely 10,13‐octadecadienoic, gorlic and 11,13‐eicosadienoic acid, were tentatively identified in pine nut oil.     

Mitochondrial membrane fatty acid composition in the marmoset monkey following dietary lipid supplementation

Diets supplemented with high levels of saturated fatty acids derived from sheep kidney (perirenal) fat or unsaturated fatty acids derived from sunflowerseed oil were fed to marmoset monkeys for 22 wk. The effect of such diets on plasma, red blood cell phospholipids, and liver, heart, kidney and brain mitochondrial phospholipid fatty acids was determined. Despite large differences in the level and type of lipid present in the experimental diets, there was little effect on the proportion of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipids of the membranes examined. The diets did, however, alter the proportion of the various classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the membrane phospholipids, with the sunflower-seed oil diet elevating and the sheep kidney fat diet reducing the n−6/n−3 unsaturated fatty acid ratio, relative to a low (mixed fat) reference diet. This change occurred in all membranes except brain, in which only a small response to altered dietary lipid intake was observed. Elevation of dietary linoleic acid led to an increase in membrane linoleic acid and a marked decrease in membrane arachidonic acid, such that the membranes from animals fed the sunflowerseed oil diet exhibited the lowest proportion of arachidonic acid. In this latter respect, the response of the marmoset monkey to dietary lipid supplementation differs markedly from the rat. Our inability to alter significantly membrane lipid saturation/unsaturation supports the notion that a homeostatic mechanism is in some way responsible for buffering membranes from the effects of significant changes in the nature of the dietary lipid intake.     

Characterization of the glycerolipid composition of a high‐palmitoleic acid sunflower mutant

The glycerolipid composition of a high‐palmitoleic acid sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) mutant accumulating up to 20% of n‐7 fatty acids was studied. This line produces oil with a complex triacylglycerol (TAG) composition, containing species that have not been previously identified in sunflower. In this regard, palmitoleic acid was esterified in an unexpected way in the three positions of the TAG molecules. The polar glycerolipid composition of the mutant was also studied, in order to identify and quantify the changes in membrane lipids imposed by the sunflower enzymatic machinery during the accumulation of the unusual n‐7 fatty acids. The high‐palmitoleic mutant accumulated important quantities of n‐7 fatty acids in the polar lipid fraction, especially in the phosphatidylcholine lipid class. However, the total polar lipid content of these lines was not affected. On the other hand, the mutations responsible for the n‐7 lipid accumulation induced an important decrease in the oil yield of the new mutant.     

Comparison of catabolism rate of fatty acids to carbon dioxide in mice

The catabolism rates of a medium chain fatty acid (octanoic acid), an even‐numbered fatty acid (palmitic acid), and odd‐numbered fatty acids (pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid) in mice were compared using stable isotope (¹³C) labeled fatty acids and isotope‐ratio MS (IRMS). The catabolism rates of respective fatty acids were evaluated by the ratio of ¹³C and ¹²C in carbon dioxide expired from mice. The results show that the catabolism rate of octanoic acid is three times faster than that of palmitic acid. This result is in agreement with previous knowledge that medium chain fatty acids are easily beta‐oxidized as compared to long chain fatty acids. The catabolism rates of odd‐numbered fatty acids such as pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid were significantly lower as compared to those of even‐numbered fatty acids such as palmitic acid. This finding supports our previous report that odd‐numbered fatty acids are easily accumulated into body fat. The high accumulation of odd‐numbered fatty acids in body fat would be a direct result of their low beta‐oxidizability. Practical applications: ¹³C‐labeled fatty acids were administered to mice and the rates of ¹³CO₂ formation were compared among medium chain, even‐numbered, and odd‐numbered fatty acids using IRMS. We found that the catabolism rates of odd‐numbered fatty acids such as pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid were significantly lower in comparison to those of even‐numbered fatty acids such as palmitic acid. These findings could be valuable for the development of the lipid metabolism field.     

Characteristic profiles of lipid classes,fatty acids and triacylglycerol molecular species of peas (Pisum sativum L.)

Seed oils from four legume cultivars of Pisum sativum, grown in Japan, were extracted and classified by thin‐layer chromatography (TLC) into seven fractions: hydrocarbons (HC; 0.5–0.9 wt‐%), steryl esters (SE; 0.8–2.4 wt‐%), triacylglycerols (TAG; 31.2–40.3 wt‐%), free fatty acids (FFA; 1.3–2.7 wt‐%), 1,3‐diacylglycerols (1,3‐DAG; 1.0–1.8 wt‐%), 1,2‐diacylglycerols (1,2‐DAG; 1.0–2.2 wt‐%) and phospholipids (PL; 52.2–61.3 wt‐%). All lipid samples had high amounts of total unsaturated fatty acids, representing 75.0–84.3 wt‐% for TAG and PL. Molecular species and fatty acid distributions of TAG, isolated from the total lipids in the peas, were analyzed by a combination of argentation‐TLC and GC. Eighteen different molecular species were detected. With a few exceptions, the main TAG components were SMD (7.5–10.3 wt‐%), M₂D (8.0–8.9 wt‐%), SD₂ (12.0–18.3 wt‐%), SMT (9.8–11.0 wt‐%), MD₂ (12.0–20.3 wt‐%), SDT (9.7–10.8 wt‐%), M₂T (2.5–7.3 wt‐%) and D₃ (14.5–15.2 wt‐%) (where S denotes a saturated fatty acid, M denotes a monoene, D denotes a diene, and T denotes a triene). It seems that the four cultivars were highly related to each other based on the fatty acid composition of the TAG as well as the distribution profiles in the different TAG molecular species. In general, these results suggest that there are no essential differences (p >0.05) in the oil components among the four cultivars.     

Bioorthogonal Chemical Reporters for Monitoring Unsaturated Fatty‐Acylated Proteins

Dietary unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, have been shown to be covalently incorporated into a small subset of proteins, but the generality and diversity of this protein modification has not been studied. We synthesized unsaturated fatty‐acid chemical reporters and determined their protein targets in mammalian cells. The reporters can induce the formation of lipid droplets and be incorporated site‐specifically onto known fatty‐acylated proteins and label many proteins in mammalian cells. Quantitative proteomics analysis revealed that unsaturated fatty acids modify similar protein targets to saturated fatty acids, including several immunity‐associated proteins. This demonstrates that unsaturated fatty acids can directly modify many proteins to exert their unique and often beneficial physiological effects in vivo.     

Characteristic Oxidation Products of Choline Plasmalogens are Detectable in Cattle and Roe Deer Spermatozoa by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

Plasmalogens (1-O-alk-1′-enyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholines and -phosphoethanolamines) are important constituents of spermatozoa membranes and possess significant antioxidative properties. This particularly holds as plasmalogens from spermatozoa also possess a very high content of highly unsaturated fatty acyl residues (especially 22:6). The organic spermatozoa extracts of two different ruminants (cattle and roe deer) were analyzed for their contents of characteristic choline plasmalogen oxidation products by matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. It will be shown that 1-hydroxy-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (LPC 22:6) and formyl-LPC 22:6 are reliable measures of lipid oxidation of spermatozoa and allow, accordingly, conclusions about the storage conditions. All data on spermatozoa were also confirmed by the investigation of the oxidation behavior of selected reference compounds. It will be shown that, equally if plasmalogens or diacyl PC species are used, oxidation takes place primarily at the double bond next to the glycerol backbone. These data were additionally confirmed by recording the corresponding post source decay (PSD) fragment ion spectra.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of lipids from broccoli leaves

The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and fractionation of lipids from broccoli leaves is presented in this work. For this purpose the effect of the different variables on the extraction was studied, obtaining the best results at 60°C, 300 bar and 3 mL/min. Two different fractions were obtained: First, the samples were extracted with pure CO₂, and afterward the residual material was extracted using CO₂ modified with 15% of methanol. The total fatty acid content of the extracts was determined by GC‐MS and compared with those results obtained by Soxhlet extraction with hexane and a chloroform/methanol (2:1) mixture. The SFE extracts presented a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids, especially the polyunsaturated 18:3 n ? 3. The methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of the fatty acid composition of the leaves from five different cultivars of broccoli. In all the samples the main fatty acids were α‐linolenic (18:3 n ? 3), linoleic (18:2 n ? 6), and palmitic (16:0). Among the different cultivars analyzed, Naxos variety presented the highest levels in fatty acids, while Parthenon and Viola the lowest. Practical applications: The proposed method allows the fractionation of lipids from broccoli leaves using a small volume of organic solvent and mild conditions. This is advantageous compared to conventional methods where large volumes or organic solvents are used, and the cost and time for the removal of these solvents, along with the possibility of degradation and toxicity, are the major disadvantages. The results obtained contribute to a better compositional characterization and a possible revaluation of this by‐product as a source of biologically active compounds.     

Dietary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Inflammation: The Role of Phospholipid Biosynthesis

The composition of fatty acids in the diets of both human and domestic animal species can regulate inflammation through the biosynthesis of potent lipid mediators. The substrates for lipid mediator biosynthesis are derived primarily from membrane phospholipids and reflect dietary fatty acid intake. Inflammation can be exacerbated with intake of certain dietary fatty acids, such as some ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and subsequent incorporation into membrane phospholipids. Inflammation, however, can be resolved with ingestion of other fatty acids, such as ω-3 PUFA. The influence of dietary PUFA on phospholipid composition is influenced by factors that control phospholipid biosynthesis within cellular membranes, such as preferential incorporation of some fatty acids, competition between newly ingested PUFA and fatty acids released from stores such as adipose, and the impacts of carbohydrate metabolism and physiological state. The objective of this review is to explain these factors as potential obstacles to manipulating PUFA composition of tissue phospholipids by specific dietary fatty acids. A better understanding of the factors that influence how dietary fatty acids can be incorporated into phospholipids may lead to nutritional intervention strategies that optimize health.     

Fatty acid composition of lipids from the contents of rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) cephalothorax

The contents of rock lobster cephalothorax were analyzed for lipid content and fatty acid composition. They contain a diversity of saturated (35.5±0.5%), monounsaturated (26.3±1.7%), and polyunsaturated fatty acids, n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (11.5±0.5%) among them. The possibility of using these products as a supplement to fish and food animals’ diets is discussed.