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Polyunsaturated eicosapentaenoic acid changes lipid composition in lipid rafts

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Summary

Background

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) modulate immune responses particularly by affecting T cell function and are applied clinically as adjuvant immunosuppressants in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms of PUFA–induced immunosuppressive effects are not yet elucidated. Membrane lipid rafts are functional plasma membrane microdomains characterized by a unique lipid environment. Since lipid interactions are crucial for the formation of lipid rafts, the immunomodulatory effects of PUFAs may be due to changes of fatty acid composition in lipid rafts.

Aim of the study

We investigated the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n – 3) supplementation on modulating lipid composition and fatty acyl substitution in their cytoplasmic and exoplasmic lipid leaflet in lipid rafts.

Methods

The human Jurkat E6–1 T cells were cultured in EPA–supplemented medium and the cells treated with stearic acid served as a control. Lipid rafts were isolated by discontinuous sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. The lipids in raft and soluble fractions from EPA–treated and control T cells were extracted and separated by gas chromatography. Raft phospholipids were analyzed by mass spectrometry.

Results

Our results showed that EPA treatment could alter lipid composition resulting in a considerable increase of unsaturated fatty acyl chains in lipid rafts from EPA–treated T cells compared with control cells. Effective incorporation of EPA to rafts was not only in the exoplasmic but also in the cytoplasmic membrane lipid leaflet. EPA treatment altered the lipid environment in lipid rafts. EPA presented an inhibiting effect on Jurkat T cells proliferation and inhibited IL–2Rα expression on the surface of T cells.

Conclusions

Our data provided evidence for an important modification in lipid composition of membrane lipid rafts and T cell function by EPA supplementation.

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Abbreviations

PUFAs:

polyunsaturated fatty acids

EPA:

eicosapentaenoic acid

PC:

phosphatidylcholine

PE:

phosphatidylethanolamine

PS:

phosphatidylserine

PI:

phosphatidylinositol

SM:

sphingomyelin

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing 210002, P. R. China

    Q. Li, L. Tan, N. Li, Y. Li &  J. Li

  2. National Chromatographic Research & Analysis Center, Institute of Chemical Physics, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, P. R. China

    C. Wang & G. Xu

Authors
  1. Q. Li
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  2. L. Tan
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  3. C. Wang
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  4. N. Li
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  5. Y. Li
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  6. G. Xu
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  7. J. Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Li.

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Li, Q., Tan, L., Wang, C. et al. Polyunsaturated eicosapentaenoic acid changes lipid composition in lipid rafts. Eur J Nutr 45, 144–151 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-005-0574-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-005-0574-7

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