Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug;85(3):592-601.
doi: 10.18999/nagjms.85.3.592.

Role of serum n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the development of acute coronary syndromes

Naoya Inoue  1   2 , Shuji Morikawa  1   2 , Toyoaki Murohara  2
Affiliations

Role of serum n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the development of acute coronary syndromes

Naoya Inoue et al. Nagoya J Med Sci. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have an inhibitory effect on the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, whether n-6 PUFAs, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), and arachidonic acid (AA) play a role in the development of CAD remains unclear. This study investigated the association between PUFAs and the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) using the lipid and PUFAs data of patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for either non-emergent conditions (staged group) or ACS (ACS group). We retrospectively evaluated 433 patients who underwent PCI between 2014 and 2021. The patients were divided into the ACS group (n = 18) and the staged group (n = 132). The lipid and PUFA values of each patient between the two groups were compared. Moreover, to investigate the correlation between n-6 PUFA levels and ACS, the effects of confounding factors such as the use of strong statins and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were adjusted. The ACS group had higher n-6 PUFAs levels than the staged group (DGLA: 36.8 µg/mL vs 29.6 µg/mL; AA: 203.3 µg/mL vs 145.8 µg/mL). Furthermore, the analysis of covariance adjusted for LDL-C levels showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of DGLA and AA levels. The n-3 PUFA levels did not significantly differ between the staged and ACS groups. Moreover, the ACS group had higher DGLA and AA levels and lower n-3 PUFAs/AA ratios than the staged group. Therefore, excess n-6 PUFAs may be a risk factor for ACS.

Keywords: acute coronary syndrome; arachidonic acid; dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid; n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Effect of DGLA and AA on ACS with consideration of the difference in LDL-C levels An ANCOVA was performed to evaluate the effect of DGLA and AA levels on the development of ACS, with consideration of the difference in LDL-C levels. The DGLA (A) and AA levels (B) significant differences between the two groups based on ANCOVA adjusted for LDL-C levels (DGLA: p = 0.02, AA: p = 0.003). ANCOVA: analyses of covariance DGLA: dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid AA: arachidonic acid ACS: acute coronary syndrome LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphical abstract The figure shows the metabolism of PUFAs. The incidence of ACS may be decreased by lowering n-6 PUFA levels, including AA, and increasing n-3 PUFAs/AA ratio. AA: arachidonic acid ACS: acute coronary syndrome PUFAs: polyunsaturated fatty acids
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Takii T, Yasuda S, Takahashi J, et al. Trends in acute myocardial infarction incidence and mortality over 30 years in Japan: Report from the Miyagi-AMI registry study. Circ J. 2010;74(1):93–100. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-09-0619. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jinnouchi H, Sakakura K, Wada H, et al. Clinical features of myocardial infarction in young Japanese patients. Int Heart J. 2013;54(3):123–128. doi: 10.1536/ihj.54.123. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Amano T, Matsubara T, Uetani T, et al. Impact of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on coronary plaque instability: An integrated backscatter intravascular ultrasound study. Atherosclerosis. 2011;218(1):110–116. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2011.05.030. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hara M, Sakata Y, Nakatani D, et al. Low levels of serum n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with worse heart failure-free survival in patients after acute myocardial infarction. Circ J. 2013;77(1):153–162. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-12-0875. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Takahashi M, Ando J, Shimada K, et al. The ratio of serum n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with diabetes mellitus in patients with prior myocardial infarction: A multicenter cross-sectional study. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2017;17(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s12872-017-0479-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources