Adipose tissue arachidonic acid and the metabolic syndrome in Costa Rican adults

Abstract

Arachidonic acid, an n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), is a major component of mammalian cell membranes and may account for up to 25% of all phospholipid fatty acids. Although it is consumed in the diet in meats, eggs, and some fish, it is also synthesized in the liver from linoleic acid, the most abundant dietary PUFA, and transported to other cell types via serum albumin or lipoproteins. A major function of arachidonic acid is to serve as a precursor to the eicosanoid family of autocrine and paracrine hormones that modulates immune and inflammatory responses in the body. Additionally, there is evidence that arachidonic acid may act as a transcriptional regulator by modulating signal transduction at the cell surface, by altering membrane fluidity, or cell surface interactions by acylating membrane proteins.