Our food affects the communication and regulation within our body
In biochemistry, eicosanoids or oxylipins are signalling molecules that emerge from the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). They constitute important cellular mediators and their action often resembles that of local hormones. Although we know that various pharmaceuticals influence the synthesis of oxylipins, there is very little information available on the impact of food ingredients on these molecules. With this in mind, scientists on the EU-funded FOOD-OXYLIPIN-TOX (Impact of food ingredients and contaminants on endogenous inflammation mediators – Targeted metabolomics of the eicosanoid pathway) project set out to investigate the effects of various food constituents on endogenous oxylipin levels. To quantify oxylipins in biological samples, they have developed a new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method. This method has shown enhanced sensitivity and resolution, and is currently in use for monitoring the levels of about 90 oxylipins. The results of the project indicate that PUFA-derived oxylipins in the blood correlate with the levels of the precursor PUFA. Since the intake of n3-PUFA leads to anti-inflammatory effects, one could assume that these effects are mediated by n3-PUFA oxylipins. The aim of ongoing experiments is to identify the most potent mediators of n3-PUFA action. Food polyphenols are also assumed to exert an anti-inflammatory effect. Regarding oxylipin formation, a modulation of cyclooxygenases (the target of drugs such as diclofenac and aspirin) is discussed to be one possible mode of action of polyphenols. Based on targeted metabolomics methods developed in the project, it could clearly be shown that it is not likely that polyphenols do affect acute inflammation by modulation of cyclooxygenase-2 activity. (See the following publication: Food polyphenols fail to cause a biologically relevant reduction of COX-2 activity. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139147). Overall, the project highlights food ingredients that alter regulatory lipids. Equally important, the generated tools can now be applied to investigate the underlying mechanisms.
Keywords
Eicosanoids, oxylipins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, enzyme, xenobiotic
