Docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3): a review of its biological effects.
This article summarizes the current knowledge available on metabolism and the biological effects of n-3 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). n-3 DPA has not been extensively studied because of the limited availability of the pure compound. n-3 DPA is an elongated metabolite of EPA and is an intermediary product between EPA and DHA. The literature on n-3 DPA is limited, however the available data suggests it has beneficial health effects. In vitro n-3 DPA is retro-converted back to EPA, however it does not appear to be readily metabolised to DHA. In vivo studies have shown limited conversion of n-3 DPA to DHA, mainly in liver, but in addition retro-conversion to EPA is evident in a number of tissues. n-3 DPA can be metabolised by lipoxygenase, in platelets, to form ll-hydroxy-7,9,13,16,19- and 14-hydroxy-7,10,12,16,19-DPA. It has also been reported that n-3 DPA is effective (more so than EPA and DHA) in inhibition of aggregation in platelets obtained from rabbit blood. In addition, there is evidence that n-3 DPA possesses 10-fold greater endothelial cell migration ability than EPA, which is important in wound-healing processes. An in vivo study has reported that n-3 DPA reduces the fatty acid synthase and malic enzyme activity levels in n-3 DPA-supplemented mice and these effects were stronger than the EPA-supplemented mice. Another recent in vivo study has reported that n-3 DPA may have a role in attenuating age-related decrease in spatial learning and long-term potentiation. However, more research remains to be done to further investigate the biological effects of this n-3 VLCPUFA.
Kaur
Gunveen
G
Metabolic Research Unit, School of Medicine, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, 3217 Victoria, Australia.
Cameron-Smith
David
D
Garg
Manohar
M
Sinclair
Andrew J
AJ
D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D015777:Eicosanoids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006801:Humans; D007536:Isomerism
D015777:Eicosanoids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; C026219:docosapentaenoic acid