Docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester

Development of certified reference materials for four polyunsaturated fatty acid esters.[Pubmed:35561511]

Food Chem. 2022 Sep 30;389:133006.

Certified reference materials (CRMs) with high accuracy and traceability are essential tools for the validation of analytical methods and calibration of equipment. In this study, purity CRMs for four polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) esters, namely, cis-(4,7,10,13,16,19)- Docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester (DHA-ME), cis-4,7,10,13,16,19- Docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester (DHA-EE), cis-(5,8,11,14,17)- Eicosapentaenoic acid methyl ester (EPA-ME) and cis-(5,8,11,14,17)- Eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester (EPA-EE), were first developed according to the ISO Guide. The CRMs' purity values were assigned based on the average of quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance and mass balance approaches. The certified value with expanded uncertainties (k = 2, 95% confidence interval) were determined to be (98.8 +/- 0.4) %, (99.0 +/- 0.3) %, (98.9 +/- 0.4) % and (98.9 +/- 0.4) % for DHA-ME, DHA-EE, EPA-ME and EPA-EE, respectively. The four PUFAs esters were homogeneous and stable for 12 months at -4 degrees C and 7 days at 50 degrees C.

Global metabolomic profiling of human synovial fluid for rheumatoid arthritis biomarkers.[Pubmed:30620276]

Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2019 May-Jun;37(3):393-399. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to analyse the metabolomic profiles of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluid to test the use of global metabolomics by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for clinical analysis of synovial fluid. METHODS: Metabolites were extracted from rheumatoid arthritis (n=3) and healthy (n=5) synovial fluid samples using 50:50 water: acetonitrile. Metabolite extracts were analysed in positive mode by normal phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for global metabolomics. Statistical analyses included hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, Student's t-test, and volcano plot analysis. Metabolites were matched with known metabolite identities using METLIN and enriched for relevant pathways using IMPaLA. RESULTS: 1018 metabolites were detected by LC-MS analysis in synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis and healthy patients, with 162 metabolites identified as significantly different between diseased and control. Pathways upregulated with disease included ibuprofen metabolism, glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Pathways downregulated with disease included purine and pyrimidine metabolism, biological oxidations, arginine and proline metabolism, the citrulline-nitric oxide cycle, and glutathione metabolism. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified 30 metabolites as putative rheumatoid arthritis biomarkers including various phospholipids, diol and its derivatives, arsonoacetate, oleananoic acid acetate, Docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester, and linolenic acid and eicosatrienoic acid derivatives. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the use of global metabolomic profiling by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for synovial fluid analysis to provide insight into the aetiology of disease.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are potent openers of human M-channels expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes.[Pubmed:26914447]

Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2016 Sep;218(1):28-37.

AIM: Polyunsaturated fatty acids have been reported to reduce neuronal excitability, in part by promoting inactivation of voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels. Effects on neuronal potassium channels are less explored and experimental data ambiguous. The aim of this study was to investigate anti-excitable effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the neuronal M-channel, important for setting the resting membrane potential in hippocampal and dorsal root ganglion neurones. METHODS: Effects of fatty acids and fatty acid analogues on mouse dorsal root ganglion neurones and on the human KV 7.2/3 channel expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes were studied using electrophysiology. RESULTS: Extracellular application of physiologically relevant concentrations of the polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid hyperpolarized the resting membrane potential (-2.4 mV by 30 mum) and increased the threshold current to evoke action potentials in dorsal root ganglion neurones. The polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid, alpha-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid facilitated opening of the human M-channel, comprised of the heteromeric human KV 7.2/3 channel expressed in Xenopus oocytes, by shifting the conductance-vs.-voltage curve towards more negative voltages (by -7.4 to -11.3 mV by 70 mum). Uncharged Docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester and monounsaturated oleic acid did not facilitate opening of the human KV 7.2/3 channel. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that circulating polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a minimum requirement of multiple double bonds and a charged carboxyl group, dampen excitability by opening neuronal M-channels. Collectively, our data bring light to the molecular targets of polyunsaturated fatty acids and thus a possible mechanism by which polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce neuronal excitability.

Properties of trans isomers of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid methyl esters on cyanopropyl stationary phases.[Pubmed:16236287]

J Chromatogr A. 2005 Dec 30;1100(2):185-92.

The trans isomers of 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) methyl esters were prepared by isomerisation with paratoluenesulfinic acid (PTSA) in dioxane. The isomers were fractionated by silver ion liquid chromatography with baseline resolution between the isomers with different number of trans double bonds. The fractions were analysed by GC-MS and the gas chromatographic properties of the EPA and DHA isomers with one and two trans double bonds were investigated on BPX-70 and SP-2560 cyanopropyl stationary phases. Different temperature and pressure programs were applied to introduce variations in retention indices of the isomers. The retention indices of all the trans isomers showed a strong linear correlation to the retention indices of the equivalent all-cis isomer, but the slopes for corresponding linear regression lines varied with the number of trans double bonds in the molecule. The regression lines were used to predict optimal conditions for the separation of trans isomers from the corresponding all-cis isomers. For DHA on BPX-70, and for EPA on both columns, it was possible to find windows where isomers with one trans double bond can be resolved from the corresponding all-cis isomers with R(s) > 1.0. In general, BPX-70 seems to have a more suitable selectivity for the analysis of these isomers than SP-2560. Two-dimensional fatty acid retention indices (2D-FARI) were found to be suitable for identification of trans geometry in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Although there were substantial overlaps in the range of retention times between the all-cis isomers and isomers with one and two trans double bonds, 2D-FARI separated the isomers into distinct groups according to the number of trans double bonds.

Effects of riboflavin and fatty acid methyl esters on cholesterol oxidation during illumination.[Pubmed:12033831]

J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Jun 5;50(12):3572-8.

The effect of riboflavin or fatty acid methyl esters on cholesterol photooxidation was studied. Samples containing cholesterol, either alone or in combination with riboflavin or fatty acid methyl esters, were illuminated at 25 degrees C in an incubator for 28 days. The various cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) and cholesterol were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and riboflavin was determined by HPLC. Results showed that the presence of riboflavin or fatty acid methyl esters facilitated production of COPs and degradation of cholesterol, and the degradation fits a first-order model. The COPs formed during light storage included 7 alpha-OH, 7 beta-OH, 7-keto, 3,5-cholestadien-7-one, 5,6alpha-EP, and 5,6beta-EP. The addition of riboflavin caused formation of 3,5-cholestadien-7-one through dehydration of 7-keto, whereas in the presence of Docosahexaenoic acid methyl ester, the formation of 5,6alpha-EP or 5,6beta-EP was favored. Riboflavin was more effective for generation of COPs than fatty acid methyl esters.