title: Plasma levels of n-3 fatty acids in bipolar patients: deficit restricted to DHA.
abstract: Epidemiological studies suggest that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 FA) deficiency is a risk factor for bipolar disorders (BDs). The aim of this study was to determine whether such a deficit does exist in patients with BD and to characterize the overall plasma fatty acid (FA) profile in these patients. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we measured fasting plasma levels of 15 FAs in 42 patients diagnosed with BD according to DSM-IV criteria and in 57 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Plasma docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were significantly decreased in bipolar patients (p < 0.001 versus healthy controls). Compared with controls, patients had higher plasma levels of all other FAs, including arachidonic acid (AA, p < 0.001), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, p < 0.001), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (p < 0.001). Although in the present study we observed significant DHA deficits in the plasma of bipolar patients our findings do not support the therapeutic use of ALA and/or EPA supplementation. DHA may provide a basis for possible pharmacological intervention in psychiatric disorders at the level of second messengers linked to the phosphatidylinositol cycle. Finally, measurement of FA levels in plasma seems to be more reliable and reproducible than assays of erythrocyte FA content.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (UCSC), Rome, Italy. Electronic address: massimilianopomponi@alice.it.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pomponi
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janiri
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: La Torre
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Stasio
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Nicola
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martinotti
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bria
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lippa
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Natili
authors.forename: Massimo F L
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pomponi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000178:diet therapy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D005215:Fasting; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids