• BMB Reports
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.499-505
• /
• 2000

The level of long-chain n-3 fatty acids in chicken and pork can be increased by changing the diet of the animals. Increased levels of these essential fatty acids improve cardiovascular health in humans. The purpose of this study was to study the effects of the consumption of pork and chicken enriched in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on plasma lipids. The consumption of these products decreased the levels of two cardiovascular risk factors, LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerols, in the plasma of female college students. The effect on LDL-cholesterol differed from that of fish oil, which does not affect the level of LDL-cholesterol. The proportions of DHA in the triacylglycerols and the glycerophospholipids were increased markedly. The greatest changes in the glycerophospholipids were in the ether types of the ethanolamine glycerophospholipids. Dietary DHA appears to be incorporated preferentially into the plasma ethanolamine plasmalogens, which can act as antioxidants. This agrees with our hypothesis that DHA stimulated the transcription of the genes for peroxisomal enzymes that are required for plasmalogen synthesis.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.263-271
• /
• 1999

We checked the presence of phospholipase $A_2(PLA)_2$ which could split the ester bond at the position 2 in the glycerol backbone of glycerophospholipids, in the cells of hyperthermophiles of Pyrococcus horikoshii and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. The results obtained are as follows; (1). Pyrococcus horikoshii cells were grown in obligate anaerobic conditions at $95^{\circ}C$ and they needed sulfur as energy source instead of oxygen, while Sulfolobus acidocaldarius species grew well in the aerobic medium (pH 2.5) containing yeast and sucrose at $75^{\circ}C$. (2). Pyrococcus horikoshii cells produced phospholipase $A_2$ in the cell culture media although this species did not show lipase activity at least in the pH range of 1.5 ${\sim}$ 3.5. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells produced lipase hydrolyzing triacylglycerols such as triolein, but did not split any kind of phospholipids used as substates. (3). The compound of 1-decanoyl-2-(p-nitrophenylglutaryl) phosphatidylcholine was not suitable for a substrate in this experiment, though frequently used as a subtrate for checking presence of phospholipase $A_2$, for its decomposi-tion in this experiment. The L-${\alpha}$-phosphatidylcholine-${\beta}$-[N-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazol]aminohexanoyl-${\gamma}$-hexadecanoyl labelled with a fluorescent material, did not show any migration of acyl chains in the molecule during the reaction with phospholipase $A_2$ under a hot condition. (4). Phospholipase $A_2$ in the cells of Pyrococcus horikoshii, showed the optimum activity at $pH6.7{\sim}7.2$ and $95{\sim}105^{\circ}C$, respectively, and was activated by addition of calcium chloride solution. Andthe phospholipase $A_2$ specifically hydrolyzed glycero-phospholipids such as phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl serine and phosphatidyl inositol, but could not split phospholipid containing ether bonds in the molecule such as DL -${\alpha}$-phosphatidylcholine-${\beta}$-palmitoyl-${\gamma}$-O-hexadecyl, DL-${\alpha}$-phosphati- dylcholine-${\beta}$- oleoyl-${\gamma}$-O-hexadecyl, DL-phosphatidylcholine-dihexadecyl.