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
. 2025 Jul 14;15(1):25390.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09391-3.

A case-control study on the diagnostic role of Omega-3 fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of critically ill patients

Mohsen Dorchin  1 , Milad Nasiri-Jounaghani  2 , Fatemeh-Sadat Hashemi-Javaheri  1   3 , Mohammad Safarian  4 , Ahmad Bagheri-Moghaddam  5 , Abdolreza Norouzy  6 , Majid Khadem-Rezaiyan  7 , Samin Hejazi  1 , Mostafa Arabi  8
Affiliations

A case-control study on the diagnostic role of Omega-3 fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of critically ill patients

Mohsen Dorchin et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the erythrocyte Omega-3 fatty acid index as a potential biomarker for clinical severity, nutritional status, and mortality risk in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Using a case-control design, we evaluated 86 ICU patients with severe clinical conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and oncological complications. Blood samples were analyzed to quantify eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in erythrocyte membranes. Clinical outcomes were assessed at 28 and 60 days to determine correlations with fatty acid profiles. Our findings showed no significant differences in EPA, DHA, or combined Omega-3 index levels between survivors and non-survivors. Additionally, no meaningful correlations were found between Omega-3 indices and clinical severity scores (APACHE II, SOFA) or nutritional assessments. These results suggest that erythrocyte Omega-3 fatty acid levels may not be reliable prognostic markers of mortality or clinical trajectory in critically ill ICU patients. Although Omega-3 fatty acids play a role in inflammatory modulation, their membrane concentrations do not appear to reflect patient outcomes in this setting. Further research is warranted to explore alternative biomarkers or to incorporate broader inflammatory indices in critical care prognostication.

Keywords: Critically ill patients; Erythrocyte fatty acids; Inflammation biomarkers; Intensive care unit; Omega-3 index.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The Ethics in Human Research Committee of the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences approved this study in Mashhad, Iran, under the registration number IR.MUMS.MEDICAL.REC.1401.680. Consent for publish: All the patients signed a consent form.

References

    1. Singer, P. et al. ESPEN practical and partially revised guideline: clinical nutrition in the intensive care unit. Clin. Nutr.42 (9), 1671–1689 (2023). - PubMed
    1. Matejovic, M. et al. Medical nutrition therapy and clinical outcomes in critically ill adults: a European multinational, prospective observational cohort study (EuroPN). Crit. Care. 26 (1), 143 (2022). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Compher, C. et al. Guidelines for the provision of nutrition support therapy in the adult critically ill patient: the American society for parenteral and enteral nutrition. JPEN J. Parenter. Enter. Nutr.46 (1), 12–41 (2022). - PubMed
    1. Serrano, M. A., Gomes, A. M. C. & Fernandes, S. M. Monitoring of the forgotten immune system during critical Illness-A narrative review. Med. (Kaunas) ;59(1). (2022). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Li, S. et al. Clinical characterization and possible pathological mechanism of acute myocardial injury in COVID-19. Front. Cardiovasc. Med.9, 862571 (2022). - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources