Leukocyte Activation and Antioxidative Defense Are Interrelated and Moderately Modified by n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Enriched Eggs Consumption—Double-Blind Controlled Randomized Clinical Study

Figures

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  Figure 1. Correlation of oxidative status markers and peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations or CD11a expression. Levels of lipid peroxidation negatively correlated to CD11a expression monocytes in Control group (A), while in the n-3 PUFA group SOD activity negatively and positively correlated to frequencies of peripheral blood granulocytes (B) and monocytes (C), respectively. Correlation coefficient (r) was calculated using Pearson product-moment correlation. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Control group—young healthy volunteers subjected to 14-day diet with regular hen eggs; n-3PUFA group—young healthy volunteers subjected to 14-day diet with n-3 PUFA-enriched hen eggs. PUFA—Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, CD11a—Cluster of Differentiation 11a, integral part of integrin Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen 1 (LFA-1), TBARS—Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances, MDA—Malondialdehyde, SOD—Superoxide Dismutase.

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  Figure 2. Effects of regular and n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs consumption on the LFA-1 (CD11a) integrin expression. The gating strategy is shown in panel (A). Representative histograms demonstrating CD11a integrin expression on granulocytes and monocytes in negative control samples (grey), at baseline (red), and after respective dietary protocol (green) are shown in panel (B). Expression levels of CD11a integrin on granulocytes and monocytes are demonstrated in panel (C), while average frequencies of peripheral blood monocytes, classical (CD14++CD16−), intermediate (CD14++CD16++), and non-classical monocytes (CD14+CD16++) are demonstrated in panel (D). Data are presented as arithmetic mean and standard deviation; within group differences were tested using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test or paired student’s t-test, while between group differences were compared using one-way ANOVA or Mann–Whitney U test, p < 0.05 were considered significant. Control group—young healthy volunteers subjected to 14-day diet with regular hen eggs; n-3 PUFAs group—young healthy volunteers subjected to 14-day diet with n-3 PUFA-enriched hen eggs. SSC-A—Side scatter, FSC-A—Forward Scatter, CD11a, PUFA—Polyunsaturated Fatty…

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  Figure 3. Dose-dependent effects of n-3 PUFAs on microcirculation. N-3 PUFAs can modulate oxidative balance by increasing activity of oxidative enzymes and reducing lipid peroxidation (a), and thereby prevent e-NOS uncoupling and improve/restore endothelial function in cardiovascular patients (b). Several previous functional studies demonstrated reduced endothelium-leukocyte interactions and a subsequent lower level of leukocyte extravasation (c). N-3 PUFAs outcompete n-6 PUFAs for the integration into the cell membrane, and as a result of these structural changes of the membrane, the products of lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase pathway are anti-inflammatory mediators, such as resolvins, prostaglandin E3, and leukotriene B5 (d). In addition, n-3 PUFA attenuate endothelial activation trough PPAR activation-mediated NFκB inhibition (e). eNOS—endothelial nitric oxide synthase; NFκB—nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; PPAR—Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PUFA—Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, GPx—Glutathione Peroxidase; SOD—Superoxide Dismutase; AA—Arachidonic Acid; EPA—Eicosapentaenoic Acid; DHA—Docosahexaenoic Acid.