Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
29
CHAPTER
Marine n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty
Acids and Cellular Adhesion Molecules
in Healthy Subjects and in Patients
with Ischaemic Heart Disease
Ole Eschen
1, *
, Jeppe Hagstrup Christensen
1,2
and
Erik Berg Schmidt
1
1
Department of Cardiology, Center for Cardiovascular Research, Aalborg
Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
2
Department of Nephrology, Aalborg Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital,
Aalborg, Denmark
Departmental contact
: Ole Eschen, Center for Cardiovascular Research,
Department of Cardiology, Aalborg Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital,
Hobrovej 16-22, 9100 Aalborg, Denmark. E-mail:
oe@dadlnet.dk
Jeppe Hagstrup Christensen, E-mail:
jhc@dadlnet.dk
Erik Berg Schmidt, E-mail:
ebs@dadlnet.dk
ABSTRACT
Cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) may play an important role in initiation
and progression of atherosclerosis in both healthy subjects and in patients with
ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Accumulating evidence supports a cardioprotective
ef ect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of marine origin and the benei cial
ef ect could in part be due to anti-inl ammatory and anti-atherosclerotic properties
of these fatty acids.
In vitro
and animal data suggest that n-3 PUFA are inversely
associated with CAMs. However, human studies of the ef ects of n-3 PUFA on
serum levels of soluble CAMs in both healthy subject and in patients with IHD
are not entirely consistent. Most randomized controlled trials have been small
and rather heterogeneous with respect to dose of n-3 PUFA and the period of
