Polyunsaturated fatty acids, macrophages, and mediators of atherosclerosis: an in vitro investigation

Abstract

Many cells are involved in the atherosclerotic process, but macrophages are present inevery phase of atherosclerosis and are heavily implicated as prime culprits in the molecular events that initiate, promote and complicate atherosclerosis. Dietary fatty acids are known to modulate the immune cell function and have been reported to exert positive effects on atherosclerosis. The objective of this thesis was to examine the relationship between dietary fatty acids and macrophage function in vitro, and its possible implication in the atherosclerotic process. The fatty acids under investigation were conjugated isomers of the n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) linoleic acid; cis 9, trans11-conjugated linoleic acid (c9 ,t11-CLA) and trans 10,cisl2-conjugated linoleic acid (t10 ,c12-CLA ), and the longchain n-3 PUFA found in fish oil; eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).