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The synthesis of 1-monoacylglycerols of selected unsaturated fatty acids and their antimicrobial and cytotoxicity activity is reported in the present study. The monoacylglycerols of fatty acids like undecenoic, oleic, linoleic and erucic acids were prepared by chemical esterification with solketal followed by deprotection. Fatty acids like alpha linolenic, gamma linolenic and ricinoleic acids were initially isolated from natural sources and further enriched in their respective methyl ester forms. The monoacylglycerols of ricinoleic and linolenic acid methyl esters were prepared by enzymatic transesterification with solketal using lipase from Candida antarctica followed by deprotection. The synthesized 1-monoacylglycerols were purified and characterized by spectral studies. The antimicrobial activity revealed that the monoacylglycerol of gamma linolenic acid was the most effective antibacterial followed by the monoacylglycerols of undecenoic and alpha linolenic acids. In the cytotoxicity assay against five cell lines, all the monoacylglycerols exhibited moderate activity but the activity was best against MCF7 Human Breast Adenocarcinoma cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the lipid content and FA profiles of total lipids, phospholipids (PL) and triacylglycerols (TAG) of Mastacembelus mastacembelus from the Atatürk Dam Lake (Turkey). The results showed that the total lipid content of the dorsal muscle varied seasonally from 0.50% to 3.59%. Wide ranges of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) (36.21 to 50.52%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (25.22 to 42.02%) were found in the PL fraction. However, higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) (37.63 to 45.07%) and SFA (34.71 to 38.82%) were found in TAG (triacylglycerol). The ratios of ω-3 to ω-6 PUFA ranged from 0.65 to 1.32 and 1.07 to 3.48 in PL (phospholipid) and TAG fraction, respectively. The results also showed that the major components were palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1ω-9), palmitoleic acid (C16:1ω-7), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6ω-3), arachidonic acid (AA, C20:4ω-6) and docosapentaenoic acid (C22:5ω-3) in total lipid, C16:0, C18:1ω-9, AA and DHA in PL, C16:0, C16:1ω-7, C18:1ω-9, linoleic acid (LA, C18:2ω-6), and DHA in TAG extracted from the muscle of M. mastacembelus in all seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the breed [Mos (Spanish indigenous breed), Sasso T-44 and X-44 (commercial strains)] and the age (5, 6, 7 and 8 months) of capons (castrated male cockerels) on the fatty acid compositions of breast and drumstick meat were studied. The meat of the Mos capons showed lower contents of monounsaturated fatty acids and higher concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids than those of the other breeds. In addition, the Mos breed showed higher contents of margaric acid (C17:0) and stearic acid (C18:0) as compared to the commercial strains; however, no significant effects of breed were observed in the total contents of saturated fatty acids in the meat. The meat of the youngest animals showed lower contents of monounsaturated fatty acids and higher concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids than that of the older ones. Nevertheless, the effect of age was less important than the effect of breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The best choice for feeding the newborn child is breast milk, and when it is not possible to breastfeed a baby, the breast milk is replaced by lacteal formula, which is why numerous studies focus their attention on the analysis of the diverse components of baby formula as well as functions in the breastfed baby. Fatty acids are components of great nutritional importance in the fetus and in the newborn child. Nowadays it is estimated that the fetus, during the last trimester of the gestational period and the newborn child, during the first six months of life, need a great contribution of araquidonic and docosahexaenoic acids, due to the fact that the speed of transformation of the predecessors to the hepatic level are not sufficient to cover the metabolic requirements of these fatty acids and it is the mother who contributes them through placental transport during gestation and her milk during lactation. The Organization of Food and Agriculture (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Society of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pediatric Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that lacteal formula imitate the composition of the breast milk, especially in the fatty polyunsaturated acids (PUFA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipids comprize from 50-60% of the structural matter of the brain and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6, DHA) is the most important omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in the brain phospholipids comprizing 25% of the total fatty acids of the grey matter. The majority of the DHA present in the human brain is incorporated during the brain growth spurt which starts at week 26 of gestation and imposes a high demand for the fatty acid until about 2 years of age. DHA is required during brain development when neuronal and glial differentiation and migration, and active myelination and synaptogenesis take place. The fatty acid must be incorporated into the brain lipids as preformed DHA because less than 5% of its precursor (alpha linolenic acid, LNA) is converted to DHA. The human foetus has a limited ability to synthesize DHA from LNA, and therefore it must be largely supplied from maternal sources. Maternal DHA available for foetal nutrition can be provided from three main sources: adipose tissue, which is the main reservoir for the fatty acid; through biosynthesis from the precursor LNA, which occurs mainly in the liver; and as preformed DHA from dietary sources. In the postnatal period DHA is provided by the mother to the newborn through milk secretion. Western nutrition provides low LNA and DHA and Expert Nutrition Committees suggest that mothers should receive DHA supplementation during pregnancy and lactation. At present DHA supplementation can be provided from different sources: as purified free DHA, as an ethyl ester derivative, extracted from single-cell algae oils, from egg yolk phospholipids, or in the form of sn-2 DHA monoacylglycerol. In this review we revise and discuss the evidence of DHA requirements for the newborn, the need for maternal supplementation during pregnancy and nursing, and the alternatives at present for providing DHA supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]