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Review
. 2022 Feb 14;23(4):2104.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23042104.

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids-Vascular and Cardiac Effects on the Cellular and Molecular Level (Narrative Review)

Ines Drenjančević  1   2 , Jan Pitha  3
Affiliations
Review

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids-Vascular and Cardiac Effects on the Cellular and Molecular Level (Narrative Review)

Ines Drenjančević et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

In the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, in addition to the already proven effective treatment of dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are considered as substances with additive effects on cardiovascular health. N-3 PUFAs combine their indirect effects on metabolic, inflammatory and thrombogenic parameters with direct effects on the cellular level. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) seems to be more efficient than docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the favorable mitigation of atherothrombosis due to its specific molecular properties. The inferred mechanism is a more favorable effect on the cell membrane. In addition, the anti-fibrotic effects of n-3 PUFA were described, with potential impacts on heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction. Furthermore, n-3 PUFA can modify ion channels, with a favorable impact on arrhythmias. However, despite recent evidence in the prevention of cardiovascular disease by a relatively high dose of icosapent ethyl (EPA derivative), there is still a paucity of data describing the exact mechanisms of n-3 PUFAs, including the role of their particular metabolites. The purpose of this review is to discuss the effects of n-3 PUFAs at several levels of the cardiovascular system, including controversies.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; docosahexaenoic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid; omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

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Conflict of interest statement

J.Pitha reports to be chairman of the society “Forum zdrave vyzivy/Forum of Health Nutrition” focused on nutrition and public awareness about healthy lifestyle (www.fzv.cz, accessed on 31 January 2022); received lecture honoraria from pharmaceutical companies: Pro.Med, Servier, Novartis, Amgen and Sanofi. No conflict of interest regarding this article and no relation to the industry focused on omega-3 fatty acids or related products reported; no lecture honoraria from pharmaceutical companies involved in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids production and distribution reported. I. Drenjančević has nothing to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Characteristics of dietary fatty acids with a focus on omega-3 fatty acids and related compounds (source: Drenjančević, Ines et al. “The Effect of Dietary Intake of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Cardiovascular Health: Revealing Potentials of Functional Food”. Superfood and Functional Food—The Development of Superfoods and Their Roles as Medicine, edited by Naofumi Shiomi, Viduranga Waisundara, IntechOpen, 2017. 10.5772/67033).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The main potential effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the cardiovascular system.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of potential difference between EPA and DHA at the level of the plasma membrane (created partly on information and data from [39,62]).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The ion channels affected by omega-3 fatty acids + metabolites important in the mechanisms of vascular relaxation with a focus on K2 channels (figure adopted from Kenichi Goto, Toshio Ohtsubo and Takanari Kitazono. Endothelium-Dependent Hyperpolarization (EDH) in Hypertension: The Role of Endothelial Ion Channels. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19(1), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19010315, accessed on 10 February 2022 and modified by I.D.) [65].
Figure 5
Figure 5
The effects of omega-3 fatty acids: differences and similarities between eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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