Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
Hanyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yaan, China.
Phytother Res. 2022 Jan;36(1):164-188. doi: 10.1002/ptr.7295. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3) is a carboxylic acid composed of 18 carbon atoms and three cis double bonds, and is an essential fatty acid indispensable to the human body. This study aims to systematically review related studies on the dietary sources, metabolism, and pharmacological effects of ALA. Information on ALA was collected from the internet database PubMed, Elsevier, ResearchGate, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, and Europe PMC using a combination of keywords including "pharmacology," "metabolism," "sources." The following findings are mainly contained. (a) ALA can only be ingested from food and then converted into eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the body. (b) This conversion process is relatively limited and affected by many factors such as dose, gender, and disease. (c) Pharmacological research shows that ALA has the anti-metabolic syndrome, anticancer, antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-obesity, neuroprotection, and regulation of the intestinal flora properties. (d) There are the most studies that prove ALA has anti-metabolic syndrome effects, including experimental studies and clinical trials. (e) The therapeutic effect of ALA will be affected by the dosage. In short, ALA is expected to treat many diseases, but further high quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of ALA.
α-亚麻酸（ALA，18:3n-3）是一种由 18 个碳原子和三个顺式双键组成的羧酸，是人体必不可少的必需脂肪酸。本研究旨在系统综述 ALA 的膳食来源、代谢和药理作用的相关研究。通过关键词组合（如“药理学”、“代谢”、“来源”），从互联网数据库 PubMed、Elsevier、ResearchGate、Web of Science、Wiley Online Library 和 Europe PMC 中收集有关 ALA 的信息。主要包含以下发现。（a）ALA 只能从食物中摄取，然后在体内转化为二十碳五烯酸和二十二碳六烯酸。（b）这个转化过程相对有限，受剂量、性别和疾病等多种因素的影响。（c）药理研究表明，ALA 具有抗代谢综合征、抗癌、抗炎、抗氧化、抗肥胖、神经保护和调节肠道菌群的特性。（d）有最多的研究证明 ALA 具有抗代谢综合征的作用，包括实验研究和临床试验。（e）ALA 的治疗效果会受到剂量的影响。总之，ALA 有望治疗许多疾病，但需要进一步进行高质量的研究，以确定 ALA 的临床疗效。
