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The Fatty Acid Profile of the Erythrocyte Membrane in Initial-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

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Abstract

Background and Objectives

The sudden change in the dietary habits of the Japanese population towards a European/American-style diet since the 1960s is thought to be responsible for the recent increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Japan. Dietary fatty acid intake influences the fatty acid profiles of vital cell membranes, which might be a source of inflammatory mediators.

Methods

We investigated the fatty acid composition of the erythrocyte membrane in 90 healthy Japanese and 43 initial-onset IBD patients (ulcerative colitis, UC: 25; Crohn’s disease, CD: 18) who had not undergone any dietary intervention to examine the role fatty acids play in the onset of IBD.

Results

The erythrocyte membrane n-3/n-6 ratio of the initial-onset IBD patients was 0.42 ± 0.13, which was not significantly different from that of the healthy Japanese subjects (0.41 ± 0.13). However, the CD patients displayed a significantly lower mean percentage weight (MPW) of linoleic acid (LA) than the healthy subjects (8.25 ± 1.75 vs. 9.90 ± 1.29; p < 0.001), while their MPW of arachidonic acid (AA) was significantly higher than those of the healthy subjects and UC patients (11.22 ± 2.18 vs. 9.76 ± 1.64, p < 0.01; vs. 9.58 ± 1.97, p < 0.01, respectively). The mean delta 6-desaturation index of the CD patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy subjects (1.61 ± 0.65 vs. 1.11 ± 0.26; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The CD patients displayed significantly higher and lower MPW of AA and LA, respectively, than the healthy subjects, suggesting that delta 6-desaturase is hyperactivated in CD. The cell membrane fatty acid profile might be a therapeutic target in CD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital, 163-1 Kashiwa-shita, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-0004, Japan

    Kan Uchiyama, Shunichi Odahara, Makoto Nakamura, Shigeo Koido, Toshifumi Ohkusa & Kiyotaka Fujise

  2. Department of Social Welfare, Faculty of Social Welfare, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata, 950-3198, Japan

    Kiyohiko Katahira

  3. Department of Health and Nutrition, University of Human Arts and Sciences, 1288 Magome, Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama, 339-8539, Japan

    Hiromi Shiraishi

  4. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University Hospital, 3-19-18 Nishishimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8471, Japan

    Hisao Tajiri

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  1. Kan Uchiyama
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  2. Shunichi Odahara
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  3. Makoto Nakamura
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  4. Shigeo Koido
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  5. Kiyohiko Katahira
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  8. Kiyotaka Fujise
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  9. Hisao Tajiri
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Correspondence to Kan Uchiyama.

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Uchiyama, K., Odahara, S., Nakamura, M. et al. The Fatty Acid Profile of the Erythrocyte Membrane in Initial-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients. Dig Dis Sci 58, 1235–1243 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2508-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-012-2508-6

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