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Fig. 1 | Lipids in Health and Disease

Fig. 1

From: Docosahexaenoic acid regulates vascular endothelial cell function and prevents cardiovascular disease

Fig. 1

Enzymatic conversion of LA to longer-chain n–6 PUFAs and ALA to longer-chain n–3 PUFAs. The conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is catalyzed by elongase and a desaturase enzyme. The desaturase shares ALA (18:3n-6) with elongase and the conversion ratio is affected by the quantity of substrate. As such, when n-6 PUFA levels are high, the amount that is converted to n-3 PUFA decreases. On the other hand, EPA can be converted to DHA or eicosanoids. Abbreviations: AA, arachidonic acid; ALA, Alpha-linolenic acid; DPA, docosapentaenoic acid; DGLA, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; GLA, gamma-Linolenic acid; LA, Linolenic acid; PUFAs, polyunsaturated fatty acids

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Lipids in Health and Disease

ISSN: 1476-511X