ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The main aim of this pilot study was to determine whether the omega-3 status can be improved by the use of a fish oil-enriched spread in a regular diet. METHODS: The study started with an open arm where the participants consumed their regular diets followed by a randomized placebo-controlled arm with the inclusion of a spread which was either fish oil enriched or not (control). After each period,the fatty acid composition of red blood cell (RBC) and plasma phospholipids was determined by standard procedures and the sum of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid calculated. t tests were performed to calculate the significance. The first-order linear model was used to calculate correlations between selected parameters. RESULTS: When the patients were on their usual diets, a strong correlation was found between the omega-3 index based on RBCs and plasma.In the group consuming the fish oil-enriched spread, the omega-3 index based on both RBCs and plasma was significantly higher after 3 weeks of intervention. This was not the case after intervention with the control spread. CONCLUSION: Inclusion of reasonable amounts of a fish oil-enriched spread in an otherwise regular diet can be sufficient for obtaining a significant increase in omega-3 index.
Subject(s)
Erythrocytes/chemistry , Fatty Acids, Omega-3/administration & dosage , Fatty Acids, Omega-3/blood , Fish Oils/chemistry , Food, Fortified , Phospholipids/chemistry , Adult , Docosahexaenoic Acids/administration & dosage , Docosahexaenoic Acids/blood , Eicosapentaenoic Acid/administration & dosage , Eicosapentaenoic Acid/blood , Erythrocyte Membrane/chemistry , Erythrocyte Membrane/metabolism , Erythrocytes/metabolism , Female , Fish Oils/administration & dosage , Humans , Linear Models , Male , Phospholipids/blood , Pilot ProjectsABSTRACT
The myelin sheath is an electrically insulating layer that consists of lipids and proteins. It plays a key role in the functioning of the nervous system by allowing fast saltatory conduction of nerve pulses. Profiling of the proteins present in myelin is an indispensable prerequisite to better understand the molecular aspects of this dynamic, functionally active membrane. Two types of protein, the myelin basic protein and the proteolipid protein, account for nearly 85% of the protein content in myelin. Identification and characterization of the other "minor" proteins is, in this respect, a real challenge. In the present work, two proteomic strategies were applied in order to study the protein composition of myelin from the murine central nervous system. First, the protein mixture was separated by 2D-gel electrophoresis and, after spot excision and in-gel digestion, samples were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Via this approach, we identified 57 protein spots, corresponding to 38 unique proteins. Alternatively, the myelin sample was digested by trypsin and the resulting peptide mixture was further analyzed by off-line 2D-liquid chromatography. After the second-dimension separation (nanoLC), the peptides were spotted "on-line" onto a MALDI target and analyzed by MALDI TOF-TOF mass spectrometry. We identified 812 peptides by MALDI MS/MS, representing 93 proteins. Membrane proteins, low abundant proteins, and highly basic proteins were all represented in this shotgun proteomic approach. By combining the results of both approaches, we can present a comprehensive proteomic map of myelin, comprising a total of 103 protein identifications, which is of utmost importance for the molecular understanding of white matter and its disorders.
