Key result
Higher epicardial fat EPA and ALA strongly linked to lower serum TNFα in CVD patients.
Why the study?
The relationship between the omega-3 PUFA fraction in epicardial adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue and vascular inflammation in patients with cardiovascular disease remains unclear.
Cross-Sectional (n=21)
No
Effect estimate: r=-0.611
p-value: p=0.027
Higher levels of ALA and EPA in epicardial adipose tissue are associated with lower systemic inflammation (TNFα) in patients with cardiovascular disease, and increasing serum EPA may be necessary to raise EAT EPA levels.
Associated with lower TNFα; hypothesis-generating for EAT omega-3 modulation in CVD, needs prospective confirmation.
BACKGROUND: ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5ω3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6ω3), are widely regarded as cardioprotective. EPA, but not DHA, has been reported to prevent fibrosis in heart failure. The relationship between the ω-3 PUFA fraction in epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and vascular inflammation in patients with cardiovascular disease remains unclear. METHODS: EAT was collected from patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery (n=21, 11 men, 10 women, 70.4±9.0 years old). Fatty acid fractions were measured in serum, SAT, and EAT by gas chromatography, and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α was measured. No patient had taken EPA or DHA supplements. RESULTS: DHA concentrations were significantly higher in EAT than in SAT (p=0.001); EPA showed no significant difference. The EPA level of EAT correlated with the serum EPA concentration (p=0.009) but did not correlate significantly with serum DHA, α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3ω3), or linoleic acid (LA, C18:2ω6) concentrations. The EPA level of EAT showed a strong correlation with docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, C22:5ω3) and the DHA level of EAT (DHA: p<0.001). ALA (r=-0.519, p=0.039) and EPA (r=-0.611, p=0.027) levels of EAT correlated negatively with the serum TNFα concentration. There were no significant differences in EPA in serum, SAT, and EAT between patients with and without atherosclerotic heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: Among ω-3 PUFA fractions in EAT, ALA and EPA were associated with anti-inflammatory effects in patients with cardiovascular disease. It is likely that an increase in serum EPA concentration is needed to increase ω-3 PUFA levels in EAT.
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Fukuda et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiovascular disease (n=21). Epicardial adipose tissue omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels was evaluated on Correlation between EPA level of epicardial adipose tissue and serum TNFα concentration (r=-0.611, p=0.027). Epicardial adipose tissue levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (r=-0.611) and α-linolenic acid (r=-0.519) correlated negatively with serum TNFα concentrations in patients with cardiovascular disease.
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