Bioengineered Plants Can Be a Useful Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids have proven to be very essential for human health due to their multiple health benefits. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) need to be uptaken through diet because they are unable to be produced by the human body. These are important for skin and hair growth as well as for proper visual, neural, and reproductive functions of the body. These fatty acids are proven to be extremely vital for normal tissue development during pregnancy and infancy. Omega-3 fatty acids can be obtained mainly from two dietary sources: marine and plant oils. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6 n-3) are the primary marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids. Marine fishes are high in omega-3 fatty acids, yet high consumption of those fishes will cause a shortage of fish stocks existing naturally in the oceans. An alternative source to achieve the recommended daily intake of EFAs is the demand of today. In this review article, an attempt has, therefore, been made to discuss the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and the recent developments in order to produce these fatty acids by the genetic modifications of the plants.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Waleed
0000-0002-0945-6165
W
Amjad Khan
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Hu
0000-0002-5672-3115
H
Chun-Mei
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Nadeem
0000-0002-3007-2772
N
Khan
Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Wenchang, Hainan 571339, China; Department of Agriculture, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan.
Amjad
0000-0001-6141-8337
A
Iqbal
State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
Shan-Wu
SW
Lyu
Department of Agriculture, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan.
Farooq
0000-0002-7775-7867
F
Shah
D000818:Animals; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000737:chemistry*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D058086:Microalgae; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008055:Lipids; D010938:Plant Oils; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid