title: Docosahexaenoic acid lowers phosphatidate level in human activated lymphocytes despite phospholipase D activation.
abstract: N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from marine oil have been shown to decrease T cell-mediated immune function both in animals and humans, and to inhibit the mitogen-induced lymphoproliferative response when added to lymphocyte culture medium. As phosphatidic acid (PA) is a key mediator of the mitogenic process, the present study aims to investigate whether docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids, the main n-3 fatty acids from fish oil, are able to alter the mitogen-induced synthesis of PA, when added to the culture medium of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Incubation of PBMC in a medium containing 5 microM DHA bound to 5 microM human delipidated serum albumin induced a 2-fold increase in the basal PA mass whereas incubation with EPA, in the same conditions, had no effect. In contrast, both fatty acids markedly reduced the concanavalin A (ConA)-induced production of PA as compared with untreated cells. Paradoxically, phospholipase D (PLD) activity, evidenced by the synthesis of phosphatidylbutanol, was only detected in DHA-treated cells further stimulated by ConA, indicating that both DHA and ConA are required for PLD activation. Similarly, an increased diacylglycerol (DAG) mass was only observed in DHA-treated cells stimulated by ConA, whereas no modification occurred in control or EPA-treated cells stimulated or not by ConA. Furthermore, 1-butanol suppressed the ConA-induced increase of DAG mass observed in DHA-treated cells, indicating that phosphatidate was the source of the newly synthesized diacylglycerol. Altogether, these results show that, in concanavalin A-activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, docosahexaenoate stimulates both phospholipase D and phosphatidate phosphohydrolase activities, which ultimately results in an increased diacylglycerol production at the expense of phosphatidate.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U352, Laboratoire de Biochimie et Pharmacologie, Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bechoua
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Némoz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagarde
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Prigent
mesh_terms: D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D004075:Diglycerides / Q000032:analysis; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D010711:Phosphatidate Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D010739:Phospholipase D / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004075:Diglycerides; D005395:Fish Oils; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D008934:Mitogens; D010712:Phosphatidic Acids; D003208:Concanavalin A; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D010711:Phosphatidate Phosphatase; D010739:Phospholipase D