"EPA and DHA lower in blood cells due to peroxidation"

Patients with Sickle Cell Disease have Reduced Blood Antioxidant
Protection.
Ren H, Ghebremeskel K, Okpala I, Lee A, Ibegbulam O, Crawford M
Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2008 May; 78(3):139-47.

In previous studies, we found that homozygous sickle cell (HbSS)
patients, compared with their healthy (HbAA) counterparts, had reduced
levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, in red cells, platelets, and mononuclear
cells.
These differences were not due to lower intake of the two fatty
acids.
We have investigated whether reduced antioxidant status in the
patients could help explain the observed phenomenon.
Blood specimens previously obtained for fatty acid study from Nigerian
(26 HbSS and 30 HbAA) and British (30 HbSS, 9 sickle cell-hemoglobin C/
HbSC, and 15 HbAA) subjects were analyzed for antioxidant status.
The Nigerian HbSS patients compared with the controls had lower plasma
retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and beta-carotene concentrations (p <
0.005) and reduced activity of red cell Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu/
Zn-SOD) (p < 0.05).
Similarly, the British HbSS group had reduced concentrations of plasma
alpha-tocopherol (p < 0.005), and activities of red cell Cu/Zn-
superoxide dismutase (p < 0.05) and Se-glutathione peroxidase (Se-GPx)
(p < 0.005) than the controls.
In addition, the British patients in comparison with those who had
HbSC, a mild form of the disease, had lower alpha-tocopherol than that
of the HbAA controls (p < 0.005).
In the British sickle cell patients, there was a positive correlation
between red cell ethanolamine phosphoglyceride (EPG) DHA and Cu/Zn-SOD
activity (r = 0.700, p < 0.05), choline phosphoglyceride (CPG) DHA and
Se-GPx activity (r = 0.605, p < 0.05), and CPG EPA and Se-GPx activity
(r = 0.558, p > 0.05).
Similarly, the percent DHA in red cell EPG was positively related with
the activity of Se-GPx in the patients with HbSC (r = 0.674, p <
0.05).
These findings suggest that the lower levels of membrane EPA and DHA
in blood cells of the HbSS patients could be due to peroxidation
resulting from a compromised antioxidant competence.

International journal for vitamin and nutrition research.
Internationale Zeitschrift für Vitamin- und Ernährungsforschung.
Journal international de vitaminologie et de nutrition [Int J Vitam
Nutr Res]

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