RESUMEN
Immune system activation and inflammation are deeply involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases including infections, autoimmunity and malignancy as well as allergy and asthma. The incidence of allergy and asthma has significantly increased during the past decades. Still the background of this phenomenon is not well understood. The contribution of life style and habits are heavily discussed. Among them is a too clean environment which may predispose individuals to an increased sensitivity to allergic responses. Also dietary habits have changed drastically in the Western world, and it appears that especially the increased use of antioxidant food supplements, preservatives and colorants could be of relevance. In vitro experiments show that typical antioxidant compounds like vitamin C and E and the stilbene resveratrol as well as food preservatives such as sulfite, benzoate and sorbic acid and also colorants like curcumin exert significant suppressive effects on the T helper (h)1 immune activation cascade in freshly isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Obviously, antioxidant compounds interfere with central immunoregulatory pathways such as tryptophan breakdown via indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and neopterin production by GTP-cyclohydrolase I (GCH). Results show an anti-inflammatory property of antioxidants which could shift the Th1-Th2-type immune balance towards Th2-type immunity that is of utmost importance in allergic responses. Additionally, food preservatives reduce the number of pathogens to which humans are exposed by their diet, so that in agreement with the hygiene hypothesis the likelihood of allergy might increase. This review article discusses the beneficial effects which antioxidants may have to counteract inflammatory diseases, but also their potential in the increase of allergy and asthma in the Western world and their involvement in the obesity epidemic.
Asunto(s)
Antioxidantes/administración & dosificación , Suplementos Dietéticos , Sistema Inmunológico/inmunología , Animales , Antioxidantes/farmacología , Asma/epidemiología , Asma/inmunología , Dieta , Humanos , Hipersensibilidad/epidemiología , Hipersensibilidad/inmunología , Inflamación/epidemiología , Inflamación/inmunología , Obesidad/epidemiología , Obesidad/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Wide-field Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) microscopy is employed to identify saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in micro-emulsions and cells, using the ratio between the strong -C-H CARS signal at 2850 cm(-1) and the weak signal of the =C-H vibration around 3015 cm(-1) for distinction. Quantitative CARS imaging at the =C-H resonance is challenging, since it yields only a low CARS signal, and small differences on the order of 5% in the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty lipids have to be detected. For this purpose we draw advantage of the high signal-to-noise ratio of wide-field CARS microscopy that is achieved by an excitation geometry involving a "sheet-of-light"-type illumination.
Asunto(s)
Lípidos/química , Grasas Insaturadas/química , Ácidos Grasos/química , Microscopía/métodos , Aceites de Plantas/química , Espectrometría RamanRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (long-chain omega-3 PUFA) have proved to be beneficial in atherosclerosis, arrhythmia and hypertriglyceridemia in several studies, which has led national and international societies to recommend an intake of 1 g/d long-chain omega-3 PUFA for anti-atherosclerotic and antiarrhythmic purposes or 2-4 g/d for a lipid lowering effect. Numerous preparations are marketed for supplementing western diet, which is low in long-chain omega-3 PUFA. Since these preparations vary in their long-chain omega-3 PUFA content, we tested nine commercially available products for their fatty acid composition. METHODS: Nine commercially available omega-3 fatty acid supplements were analyzed using capillary gas chromatography to determine their fatty acid content. RESULTS: The nine preparations showed huge differences, up to 63.7 +/- 1.58 mol% (P = 0.002), in their longchain omega-3 fatty acid content. Most of them failed to achieve the daily recommended dose of 1 g, even when administered at the highest dosage according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Eight of the preparations contained either equal or significantly greater amounts of long-chain omega-3 PUFA than denoted by the manufacturer; one preparation did not provide any information. The highest percentage of DHA and EPA was detected in Omacor(95.80 +/- 0.63%) and Percucor (76.8 +/- 7.109%). CONCLUSION: Administering long-chain omega-3 fatty acid preparations may result in huge differences in terms of the actual amount ingested. It is therefore advisable to use the most standardized and purified products available.