Fatty acids and cardiac ischemia reperfusion injury

Fatty acids (FAs) are essential components of the body that help maintain a normal physiological function and a protective response to pathological stimuli. Small changes in the dietary intake of FAs can influence membrane integrity and cellular signaling which can affect cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. Myocardial damage resulting from ischemia/reperfusion injury has a profound effect in both the short- and long-term survivability of the individual. Relatively little mechanistic information is available regarding a molecular basis for the cardioprotective and cardiotoxic effects of FAs on ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, clearly, based on experimental data, the beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) include the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias, an increased oxygen efficiency, the preservation of mitochondrial function, an altered membrane lipid composition, and a membrane-domain functionality. Thus, PUFAs can favorably modulate intracellular-signaling events in response to extracellular stress stimuli. Further mechanistic studies are needed to clarify the role of FAs in ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, while saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids tend to be detrimental, both n-3 and n-6 PUFAs play distinct roles in mediating ischemic injury. As such, maintaining the balance between n-3 and n-6 PUFAs is a critical factor influencing a CVD outcome.