N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids alleviate high glucose-mediated dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells and prevent ischemic injuries both in vitro and in vivo

Hyperglycemia is associated with a reduced number of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that impairs vascular function. Circulating EPCs play important roles in postnatal neovasculogenesis and the prevention of ischemic injury. Frequent consumption of fish oil (FO) that is abundant with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) /docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is reportedly associated with an alleviation of diabetic complications and a lowered incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to examine whether N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as EPA and DHA would reverse the high glucose-mediated dysfunction of EPCs in vitro and thereby prevent the ischemic injury that occurs under the hyperglycemic conditions in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) db −/− mice.

Source: The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry - January 27, 2017 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Shao-Chih Chiu, Che-Yi Chao, En-Pei Isabel Chiang, Jia-Ning Syu, Raymond L. Rodriguez, Feng-Yao Tang Source Type: research