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Omega-6/3 Fatty Acids pp 193–208Cite as

Docosahexaenoic Acid and Angiogenesis: A Review

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Abstract

Angiogenesis is involved in the enlargement of preexisting vessels that sprout and divide or the formation of capillaries through trans-endothelial cell bridges (1). The development of a complex, mature vascular system is a process that requires endothelial cell activation, proliferation, and migration as well as the fundamental support of mural cells. The accessory cells such as pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells interact with endothelial cells to form the complex network of vessels. Blood vessels form an extensive network of arteries, veins, arterioles, venules, and capillaries that transport liquids, solutes, gases, macromolecules, and cells within the vertebrate body. The ­average adult body has almost 100,000 miles of blood vessels. Angiogenic signals ­promote endothelial cell proliferation, increased resistance to apoptosis, changes in proteolytic balance, cytoskeletal reorganization, migration, and differentiation and formation of a new vascular lumen. In the adult body, blood vessels acquire a quiescent, nonangiogenic state but retain considerable growth potential that is activated during wound healing as well as in certain pathological processes, such as ocular and inflammatory disorders and cancers. In fact, angiogenesis is also a part of the pathogenesis of several human diseases and plays a key role in tumor growth and metastasis. While it is desirable to block the growth of new blood vessels under these circumstances, the controlled stimulation of angiogenesis is beneficial in other conditions when the local blood supply is impaired. N-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) inhibit tumor angiogenesis (2, 3). In contrast, docosohexaenoic acid, 22:6n-3 (DHA), an important member of the n-3 fatty acid family, increases the synthesis of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with a concomitant increase in tube formation (as a measure of angiogenesis) in first-trimester human placental cells (4). This pro-angiogenic effect of DHA on placenta cells makes it nutritionally more important during pregnancy. We aim to review herein the modulation of the angiogenesis process by DHA in different cell systems.

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Financial and Competing Interests Disclosure

The work was supported in part by the Thune Holst Foundation. The authors have no other relevant affiliation or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Asim K. Duttaroy

  2. Molecular Biology Division, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, AP, India

    Sanjay Basak PhD

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  1. Asim K. Duttaroy
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  2. Sanjay Basak PhD
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Correspondence to Asim K. Duttaroy .

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  1. DMF Ltd Company, Luxembourg Str 46, Marche/Famenne, 6900, Belgium

    Fabien De Meester PhD

  2. Health Sciences Center, Department of Health Promotion Sciences, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave. 1295, Tucson, 85724-5155, Arizona, USA

    Ronald Ross Watson PhD

  3. Division of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, 85724, Arizona, USA

    Sherma Zibadi PhD

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Duttaroy, A.K., Basak, S. (2013). Docosahexaenoic Acid and Angiogenesis: A Review. In: De Meester, F., Watson, R., Zibadi, S. (eds) Omega-6/3 Fatty Acids. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-215-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-215-5_11

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