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Stroke is a worldwide major cause of mortality and morbidity. Preclinical studies have identified over 1000 molecules with brain-protective properties. More than 200 clinical trials have evaluated neuroprotective candidates for ischemic stroke yet, to date almost all failed, leading to a re-analysis of treatment strategies against stroke. An emerging view is to seek combinatory therapy, or discovering...
Caprylic acid (octanoic acid, C8:0) belongs to the class of medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs). Dairy products and specific oils like coconut oil are natural sources of dietary C8:0 but higher intakes of this fatty acid can be provided with MCT (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) oil that consists in 75% of C8:0. MCFAs have physical and metabolic properties that are distinct from those of long-chain...
Cytosolic lipid droplets are dynamic lipid-storage organelles that play a crucial role as reservoirs of metabolic energy and membrane precursors. These organelles are present in virtually all cell types, from unicellular to pluricellular organisms. Despite similar structural organization, lipid droplets are heterogeneous in morphology, distribution and composition. The protein repertoire associated...
Glycolipids are key components of mammalian cell membranes, influencing a diverse range of cellular functions. For example, a number of receptor tyrosine kinases, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are allosterically regulated by the glycolipid monosialodihexosylganglioside (GM3). Recent advances in molecular dynamics methods, especially the development of coarse-grained models,...
Gram negative bacteria as well as Gram positive actinobacteria possess the ability to accumulate variable amounts of wax esters (WE) and/or triacylglycerols (TAG) under nitrogen limiting conditions. In recent years many advances have been made to obtain insight into neutral lipid biosynthesis and accumulation in prokaryotes. The clinical and industrial relevance of bacterial WE/TAG significantly promoted...
In 1998, the concept of “green chemistry” was established through twelve principles with the aim of improving the eco-efficiency of chemical processes and to judge, whether or not, a chemical process is sustainable. Currently, numerous processes do not obey to most of these principles (large energy usage, formation of waste, usage of hazardous solvents and reagents, etc …), which have forced the scientists...
In both developed and emerging countries, sedentary life style and over exposition to high energy dense foods has led to a thermodynamic imbalance and consequently obesity. Obesity often involves a behavioural component in which, similar to drugs abuse, compulsive consumption of palatable food rich in lipids and sugar drives energy intake far beyond metabolic demands. The hypothalamus is one of the...
Polyphenols and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are two classes of natural compounds, which have been highlighted in epidemiological studies for their health benefits. The biological activities of those two families of metabolites on oxidation, inflammation, cancer, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases have been reported in vitro and in vivo. On the other hand, chemical bonding between...
In the plastids of plant cells, fatty acid (FA) production is a central biosynthetic process. It provides acyl chains for the formation of a variety of acyl lipids fulfilling different biological functions ranging from membrane synthesis to signaling or carbon and energy storage. The biochemical pathway leading to the synthesis of FA has been described for a long time. Over the last 15 years, and...
Non-enzymatic oxygenated metabolites derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are formed in vivo through free radical reaction under oxidative stress conditions. It has been over twenty-five years since the discovery of cyclic oxygenated metabolites derived from arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6), the isoprostanes, and since then they have become biomarkers of choice for assessing in vivo OS in humans...
Bordetella petrii, a facultative anaerobic species, is the only known member of the Bordetella genus with environmental origin. However it was also recently isolated from humans. The structures of the B. petrii lipid A moieties of the endotoxins were characterized here for the first time for an environmental strain and compared to that of human isolates. Characterization was achieved using chemical...
Although high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is well known to be protective against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, therapeutic interventions to raise HDL-cholesterol levels do not translate into reduction in cardiovascular risk. Due to the compositional complexity of HDL particles, molecular determinants of their atheroprotective function still remain to be clarified. Recent structural and functional...
Triacylglycerols (TAG) containing modified fatty acids with functionality beyond those found in commercially grown oil seed crops can be used as feedstocks for biofuels and bio-based materials. Over the years, advances have been made in transgenically engineering the production of various modified fatty acids in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the inability to produce large quantities...
Pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi synthesize glycosphingolipids, which have a crucial role in growth and viability. Glycosphingolipids also contribute to fungal-associated pathogenesis. The opportunistic yeast pathogen Candida albicans synthesizes phospholipomannan (PLM), which is a glycosphingolipid of the mannosylinositol phosphorylceramide family. Through its lipid and glycan moieties, PLM contributes...
Lipases play various roles in fat digestion, lipoprotein metabolism, and in the mobilization of fat stored in lipid bodies in animals, plants and microorganisms. In association with these physiological functions, there is an important field of research for discovering lipase inhibitors and developing new treatments of diseases such as obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes and tuberculosis. In this context,...
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