Role of eicosapentaeoic acid as an anti-inflammatory drug in cardiac patient

Document Type : Mini Review Article

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Department of cardiology, Cairo University

Abstract

Inflammation is termed an integral part of our body defense system, which involve recruitment and activation of different cell types and the release of several chemical mediators. However, without proper control of the extent and duration of this response through the “intrinsic anti-infalmmatory system”, this might cause injury to the host tissue as well. The development and rupture of atherosclerotic plaque in particular are mutualy linked to inflammatory process, where the accumlated subendothelial “bad fat” or LDL. In contrary, not all fat are atherogenic, poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and eicosapentoic acid (EPA) in specific, have proven to have triglycerides lowering and anti-inflammatory effect.The unique chemical structure of EPA enables it to modulate cell membrane function through substituting the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4, n-6) in membrane phospholipids of inflammatory cells. The altered fatty acid composition of inflammatory cells inhibit the synthesis of peptide mediators of inflammation such as adhesion molecules or cytokines, and decrease platelet aggregation and thrombus formation.
In this article, we will summarize the evolving data about the potential role of eicosapentaeoic acid as an anti-inflammatory drug.

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