Fatty Acid Derivatives (fatty + acid_derivative)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Insulin resistance , a common link between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 3 2006
Harold E. Lebovitz
Evidence suggests that diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may share an underlying cause(s), a theory known as the ,common soil' hypothesis. Insulin resistance is central both to the progression from normal glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes and to a constellation of cardiovascular risk factors known as the metabolic syndrome. These risk factors include visceral obesity and dyslipidaemia characterized by low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, hypertriglyceridaemia and raised small dense low-density lipoprotein particle levels. Changes in adipose tissue mass and metabolism may link insulin resistance and visceral obesity, a condition that is common in type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, weight reduction, increased physical activity, metformin and acarbose have been shown to reduce the development of type 2 diabetes in genetically predisposed subjects and may decrease the high cardiovascular risk of patients with diabetes. Some fatty acid derivatives can affect energy metabolism by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), nuclear receptors that play a key role in energy homeostasis. These receptors represent an ideal therapeutic target for reducing cardiovascular risk, because they are involved in the regulation of both insulin action and lipid metabolism. In addition to lifestyle changes, PPAR, agonists such as thiazolidinediones are frequently beneficial and have been shown to ameliorate insulin resistance, while activation of PPAR, (e.g. by fibrates) can lead to improvements in free fatty acid oxidation and lipid profile, and a reduction in cardiovascular events. The development of agents with both PPAR, and PPAR, activity promises added benefits with amelioration of insulin resistance, delayed progression to and of type 2 diabetes and a reduction of CVD. [source]


Biochemical properties of Streptococcus macedonicus strains isolated from Greek Kasseri cheese

JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2000
M.D. Georgalaki
A total of 32 Streptococcus macedonicus strains, isolated from Greek Kasseri cheese, were screened for biochemical properties of technological importance in milk fermentation processing, such as acid production, proteolytic and lipolytic activity, citrate metabolism, exopolysaccharide production, antimicrobial activity and biogenic amines production. All strains were found to be moderate acidifiers in milk. Only four strains could hydrolyse milk casein, while 11 strains showed lipolytic activity against tributyrin. Using amino acid derivatives of 4-nitroaniline as substrates, the highest peptidase activities were determined against phenylalanine- and glycine-proline-4-nitroanilide. Using fatty acid derivatives of 4-nitrophenol, it was shown that all strains exhibited esterase activities up to caprylate, with highest values against butyrate and caproate. Only one showed activity up to palmitate; this was also the most active strain against tributyrin. Five of the 32 strains could metabolize citrate but none of them produced exopolysaccharides. Nine strains displayed antimicrobial activity towards Clostridium tyrobutyricum, while no antimicrobial activity was detected against Listeria innocua and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii. Finally, none was able to decarboxylize ornithine, histidine or lysine, and only four strains produced tyramine from tyrosine. [source]


Identification of regions of leukotriene C4 synthase which direct the enzyme to its nuclear envelope localization

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2006
Jesper Svartz
Abstract Leukotrienes (LTs) are fatty acid derivatives formed by oxygenation of arachidonic acid via the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway. Upon activation of inflammatory cells 5-LO is translocated to the nuclear envelope (NE) where it converts arachidonic acid to the unstable epoxide LTA4. LTA4 is further converted to LTC4 by conjugation with glutathione, a reaction catalyzed by the integral membrane protein LTC4 synthase (LTC4S), which is localized on the NE and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We now report the mapping of regions of LTC4S that are important for its subcellular localization. Multiple constructs encoding fusion proteins of green fluorescent protein (GFP) as the N-terminal part and various truncated variants of human LTC4S as C-terminal part were prepared and transfected into HEK 293/T or COS-7 cells. Constructs encoding hydrophobic region 1 of LTC4S (amino acids 6,27) did not give distinct membrane localized fluorescence. In contrast hydrophobic region 2 (amino acids 60,89) gave a localization pattern similar to that of full length LTC4S. Hydrophobic region 3 (amino acids 114,135) directed GFP to a localization indistinguishable from that of full length LTC4S. A minimal directing sequence, amino acids 117,132, was identified by further truncation. The involvement of the hydrophobic regions in the homo-oligomerization of LTC4S was investigated using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) analysis in living cells. BRET data showed that hydrophobic regions 1 and 3 each allowed oligomerization to occur. These regions most likely form transmembrane helices, suggesting that homo-oligomerization of LTC4S is due to helix,helix interactions in the membrane. J. Cell. Biochem. 98: 1517,1527, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Integrated synthesis and extraction of short-chain fatty acid esters by supercritical carbon dioxide

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 4 2010
Marta Lubary
Abstract We developed an efficient, integrated reaction-extraction process for the production of short-chain fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) from milk fat, using carbon dioxide as the only processing solvent. FAEE were synthesized using a short-chain fatty acid selective lipase. The expansion of the liquid mixture of reactants by dense carbon dioxide enhanced the apparent lipase selectivity. In situ extraction of FAEE by a continuous flow of supercritical carbon dioxide proved to increase the lipase production rate. When the integrated process was operated with alternated periods of synthesis and product removal, the overall selectivity for short-chain FAEE increased as well, as a result of the combination of the selectivities of lipase and extraction solvent. A two-fold increase of the lipase productivity was achieved at these conditions, compared to a single batch reaction. The developed process enables the synthesis and isolation of high-value fatty acid derivatives from a natural source such as milk fat. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]


Synthesis of self-healing supramolecular rubbers from fatty acid derivatives, diethylene triamine, and urea

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 24 2008
Damien Montarnal
Abstract We describe the synthesis of supramolecular self-healing elastomers from vegetable oil fatty acid derivatives, diethylene triamine, and urea. Our strategy to obtain materials that are self-healing but do not flow relies on the use of a wide molecular distribution of randomly branched oligomers equipped with self-complementary and complementary hydrogen bonding groups. We prepared such oligomers with a two steps procedure. In the first step, diethylene triamine was condensed with dimer acids. In the second step, the oligomers obtained were allowed to react with urea. The molecules were characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopies and Monte-Carlo simulations were used to analyze the molecular size distribution. The sensitivity to small variations of the experimental conditions has been examined and the robustness of the synthetic procedure optimized. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 7925,7936, 2008 [source]