Adipose tissue arachidonic acid as an independent marker of metabolic dysregulation in Costa Rican adults

Arachidonic acid, a n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is a metabolic precursor of various autocrine and paracrine hormones involved in immune and inflammatory responses. In 484 adults from a population-based survey in Costa Rica, a fasting blood sample and an adipose tissue biopsy were taken to study the relationship between adipose tissue arachidonic acid content and metabolic syndrome (NCEP ATP III criteria). After adjusting for age, gender and area of residence, subjects with greater adipose tissue arachidonic acid content had an increasing risk of metabolic syndrome across quintiles (OR=1.00, 1.51, 2.40, 3.50, 6.01; P<0.0001 for trend). Furthermore, adipose tissue arachidonic acid content was also independently associated with abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridaemia, elevated fasting glucose, and high blood pressure. According to the authors, a better understanding of the role of arachidonic acid would help clarify the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome.

Abstract

Keywords:
Abdominal obesity – Adipose tissue – BMI – Fatty acids – High blood pressure – Hypertriglyceridaemia – Impaired glucose regulation – NCEP ATP III definition