Kuhnt Katrin, Degen Christian, Jaudszus Anke, Jahreis Gerhard
Institute of Nutrition, Department of Nutritional Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany.
Eur J Lipid Sci Technol. 2012 Feb;114(2):153-160. doi: 10.1002/ejlt.201100008.
Various plant seeds have received little attention in fatty acid research. Seeds from 30 species mainly of Boraginaceae and Primulaceae were analysed in order to identify potential new sources of the n-3 PUFA α-linolenic acid (ALA) and stearidonic acid (SDA) and of the n-6 PUFA γ-linolenic acid (GLA). The fatty acid distribution differed enormously between genera of the same family. Echium species (Boraginaceae) contained the highest amount of total n-3 PUFA (47.1%), predominantly ALA (36.6%) and SDA (10.5%) combined with high GLA (10.2%). Further species of Boraginaceae rich in both SDA and GLA were Omphalodes linifolia (8.4, 17.2%, resp.), Cerinthe minor (7.5, 9.9%, resp.) and Buglossoides purpureocaerulea (6.1, 16.6%, resp.). Alkanna species belonging to Boraginaceae had comparable amounts of ALA (37.3%) and GLA (11.4%) like Echium but lower SDA contents (3.7%). Different genera of Primulaceae (Dodecatheon and Primula) had varying ALA (14.8, 28.8%, resp.) and GLA portions (4.1, 1.5%, resp.), but similar amounts of SDA (4.9, 4.5%, resp.). Cannabis sativa cultivars (Cannabaceae) were rich in linoleic acid (57.1%), but poor in SDA and GLA (0.8, 2.7%, resp.). In conclusion, several of the presented plant seeds contain considerable amounts of n-3 PUFA and GLA, which could be relevant for nutritional purposes due to their biological function as precursors for eicosanoid synthesis. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: N-3 PUFA are important for human health and nutrition. Unfortunately, due to the increasing world population, overfishing of the seas and generally low amounts of n-3 PUFA in major oil crops, there is a demand for new sources of n-3 PUFA. One approach involves searching for potential vegetable sources of n-3 PUFA; especially those rich in ALA and SDA. The conversion of ALA to SDA in humans is dependent on the rate-limiting Δ6-desaturation. Plant-derived SDA is therefore a promising precursor regarding the endogenous synthesis of n-3 long-chain PUFA in humans. The present study shows that, in addition to seed oil of Echium, other species of Boraginaceae (Cerinthe, Omphalodes, Lithospermum, Buglossoides) and Primulaceae (Dodecatheon, Primula), generally high in n-3 PUFA (30-50%), contain considerable amounts of SDA (5-10%). Therefore, these seed oils could be important for nutrition.
在脂肪酸研究中，各种植物种子一直未受到太多关注。对主要来自紫草科和报春花科的30个物种的种子进行了分析，以确定n-3多不饱和脂肪酸α-亚麻酸（ALA）和十八碳四烯酸（SDA）以及n-6多不饱和脂肪酸γ-亚麻酸（GLA）的潜在新来源。同一科不同属之间的脂肪酸分布差异极大。紫草科的Echium物种总n-3多不饱和脂肪酸含量最高（47.1%），主要是ALA（36.6%）和SDA（10.5%），同时GLA含量也很高（10.2%）。紫草科中富含SDA和GLA的其他物种有亚麻叶脐草（分别为8.4%、17.2%）、小蜡菊（分别为7.5%、9.9%）和紫花蓝蓟（分别为6.1%、16.6%）。紫草科的紫朱草属物种的ALA（37.3%）和GLA（11.4%）含量与Echium相当，但SDA含量较低（3.7%）。报春花科的不同属（花葱属和报春花属）的ALA含量不同（分别为14.8%、28.8%），GLA含量也不同（分别为4.1%、1.5%），但SDA含量相似（分别为4.9%、4.5%）。大麻品种（大麻科）富含亚油酸（57.1%），但SDA和GLA含量较低（分别为0.8%、2.7%）。总之，本文介绍的几种植物种子含有大量的n-3多不饱和脂肪酸和GLA，由于它们作为类二十烷酸合成前体的生物学功能，可能与营养目的相关。实际应用：n-3多不饱和脂肪酸对人类健康和营养很重要。不幸的是，由于世界人口不断增加、海洋过度捕捞以及主要油料作物中n-3多不饱和脂肪酸含量普遍较低，对n-3多不饱和脂肪酸的新来源有需求。一种方法是寻找n-3多不饱和脂肪酸的潜在植物来源；特别是那些富含ALA和SDA的来源。人体中ALA向SDA的转化取决于限速的Δ6-去饱和作用。因此，植物来源的SDA对于人体内n-3长链多不饱和脂肪酸的内源性合成是一种有前景的前体。本研究表明，除了Echium的种子油外，紫草科的其他物种（蜡菊属、脐草属、紫草根属、蓝蓟属）和报春花科的物种（花葱属、报春花属）通常富含n-3多不饱和脂肪酸（30 - 50%），含有大量的SDA（5 - 10%）。因此，这些种子油可能对营养很重要。
