title: Distinct roles of specific fatty acids in cellular processes: implications for interpreting and reporting experiments.
abstract: Plasma contains a variety of long-chain fatty acids (FAs), such that about 35% are saturated and 65% are unsaturated. There are countless examples that show how different FAs impart specific and unique effects, or even opposing actions, on cellular function. Despite these differing effects, palmitate (C16:0) is regularly used to represent "FAs" in cell based experiments. Although palmitate can be useful to induce and study stress effects in cultured cells, these effects in isolation are not physiologically relevant to dietary manipulations, obesity, or the consequences of physiological concentrations of FAs. Hence, authors should avoid conclusions that generalize about "FAs" or "saturated FAs" or "high-fat diet" effects if only a single FA was used in the reported experiments.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. matthew.watt@monash.edu
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Watt
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hoy
authors.forename: Deborah M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Muoio
authors.forename: Rosalind A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Coleman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects; D059865:Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011642:Publications / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D019308:Palmitic Acid