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Fatty acid percentage in erythrocyte membranes of atrial flutter/fibrillation patients and controls

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Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Several epidemiological published data support the protective role of omega-3 consumption in coronary artery disease, sudden cardiac death and ventricular arrhythmias, but interestingly, this is not the case for atrial arrhythmias. The purpose of this study is to evaluate different fatty acid profile between AF/AFL subjects and healthy controls.

Methods

Gas chromatography was employed to determine fatty acid percentage of erythrocyte membranes from 40 idiopathic AFL/AF patients and 53 healthy control subjects.

Results

AFL/AF erythrocyte membranes had significantly lower percentage of saturated fatty acid (43.1 ± SD2.2 versus 47.8 ± SD9.6, p < 0.001), monounsaturated fatty acid (18.2 ± SD2.5 versus 22.6 ± SD5.2, p < 0.001) and total trans fatty acid (0.2 ± SD0.1 vs 1.3 ± SD1.1, p < 0.001) than controls. Furthermore, fatty acid (FA) profiles of arrhythmic individuals showed an increased percent of total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (36.7 ± SD2.4 versus 26.4 ± SD10.4, p < 0.001), PUFA n-3 (5.3 ± SD1.1 versus 2.8 ± SD1.8, p < 0.001) and n-6 (31.4 ± SD2.2 versus 23.5 ± SD9.9, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study shows that the erythrocyte membranes FA composition of AF/AFL subjects differs from that of healthy controls

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Abbreviations

AF:

Atrial fibrillation

AFL:

Atrial flutter

PUFA:

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids

MUFA:

Monounsaturated fatty acids

SFA:

Saturated fatty acids

TFA:

Trans fatty acid

PI:

Peroxidation Index

UI:

Unsaturation Index

LLD:

Long-living descendants

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the participants in our AF/AFL project for their outstanding commitment and cooperation.

Conflicts of interest

None

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Ricovero Cura Carattere Scientifico “Multimedica”, Milan, Italy

    Chiara Viviani Anselmi, Valeria Novelli, Roberta Roncarati, Roberta Bronzini, Giovanni Marchese, Francesco Somalvico, Gianluigi Condorelli, Annibale Sandro Montenero & Annibale Alessandro Puca

  2. Istituto per la Sintesi Organica e la Fotoreattivita’ (ISOF), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Bologna, Italy

    Carla Ferreri

  3. Istituto di Tecnologie Biomediche, CNR_Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Milano, Italy

    Roberta Roncarati, Gianluigi Condorelli & Annibale Alessandro Puca

  4. Unit of Genetics and Cardiovascular Research Institute, IRCCS Policlinico MultiMedica, Via Milanese 300, 20099, Sesto S.Giovanni, Italy

    Annibale Alessandro Puca

Authors
  1. Chiara Viviani Anselmi
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  2. Carla Ferreri
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  3. Valeria Novelli
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  7. Francesco Somalvico
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  9. Annibale Sandro Montenero
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  10. Annibale Alessandro Puca
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Correspondence to Annibale Alessandro Puca.

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Viviani Anselmi, C., Ferreri, C., Novelli, V. et al. Fatty acid percentage in erythrocyte membranes of atrial flutter/fibrillation patients and controls. J Interv Card Electrophysiol 27, 95–99 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-009-9466-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10840-009-9466-8

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