Unexpected omega-3 activities in intracellular lipolysis and macrophage foaming revealed by fluorescence lifetime imaging.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 121(15): e2321255121, 2024 Apr 09.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38564632
ABSTRACT
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) found primarily in fish oil have been a popular supplement for cardiovascular health because they can substantially reduce circulating triglyceride levels in the bloodstream to prevent atherosclerosis. Beyond this established extracellular activity, here, we report a mode of action of PUFA, regulating intracellular triglyceride metabolism and lipid droplet (LD) dynamics. Real-time imaging of the subtle and highly dynamic changes of intracellular lipid metabolism was enabled by a fluorescence lifetime probe that addressed the limitations of intensity-based fluorescence quantifications. Surprisingly, we found that among omega-3 PUFA, only docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) promoted the lipolysis in LDs and reduced the overall fat content by approximately 50%, and consequently helped suppress macrophage differentiation into foam cells, one of the early steps responsible for atherosclerosis. Eicosapentaenoic acid, another omega-3 FA in fish oil, however, counteracted the beneficial effects of DHA on lipolysis promotion and cell foaming prevention. These in vitro findings warrant future validation in vivo.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Fatty Acids, Omega-3
/
Atherosclerosis
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Year:
2024
Type:
Article