Plasma fatty acids as markers for desaturase and elongase activities in spinal cord injured males.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the use of surrogate plasma fatty acid analysis to provide further insights into the underlying adiposity and the development of metabolic syndrome in men with spinal cord injury (SCI).

DESIGN

Case-control, cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Community-based individuals with spinal cord injury and healthy controls.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty men with SCI age, height and weight matched with 20 able-bodied controls.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Lean tissue (LTM) and fat mass (FM) were determined using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fasting blood samples were taken for analysis of fatty acids, adiponectin, insulin, glucose and leptin. Enzymatic indices were calculated using relevant fatty acids.

RESULTS

Total FM, leptin, stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) Δ9 (SCD-16, 16:1/16:0, and SCD-18, 18:1/18:0) indices and Δ6 desaturase index were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the SCI group than the controls. Significant differences between the groups was observed for several individual fatty acids. Correlational analysis revealed a different pattern between blood biomarkers and indices of SCDs, de novo lipogenesis and elongase. Associations between the desaturase and elongase indices and biomarkers in the controls followed those reported elsewhere for able bodied participants; the same associations were not observed in the SCI group.

CONCLUSION

We have identified disturbances in fatty acid biosynthesis in SCI individuals likely associated with the development of adipose tissue below the lesion and a decrease in LTM. Loss of LTM may disturb the normal skeletal muscle-fatty acid metabolic processes leading to the disruption of metabolic homeostasis, previously identified in persons with SCI.