Arachidonic Acid News and Research

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Arachidonic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid that is present in the phospholipids (especially phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositides) of membranes of the body's cells, and is abundant in the brain. It is the counterpart to the saturated arachidic acid found in peanut oil.

Vaccine that targets nicotine rather than the brain's reaction to it

Since smoking became popular in America in the 1930s, lung cancer rates have continued to climb. Today, it is still the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with totals more than the other five leading cancers combined.

3 Nov 2005

New clue to understanding how fatty acids work in the brain

Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that a brain protein called syntaxin enables fatty molecules, used widely in health supplements, to work in the brain to make it function properly. Lead Scientist, Dr Bazbek Davletov and his colleague Dr Colin Rickman from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK report their findings in the journal Chemistry and Biology.

1 Jun 2005

Brain fatty acid levels linked to depression

A group of researchers from Israel has discovered that rats exhibiting the signs of depression have increased levels of the omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid, in their brains. The details of their findings appear in the June issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.

25 May 2005

New insight into anticoagulation therapies

Anticoagulation therapies, or treatments that reduce the amount of clotting factors in the blood, are quite common and used for a variety of reasons.

6 Dec 2004

Austrian researchers in a world first have successfully engineered an allergy vaccine

Austrian researchers in a world first have successfully engineered an allergy vaccine using a genetically modified version of the birch pollen allergen.

9 Aug 2004

Scientists have taken the first steps towards producing a sustainable and pure source of the healthy fats found in oily fish

Eating such fish is encouraged as part of a healthy diet as their oils are rich in very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFAs). However, views on the health-promoting nature of VLCPUFAs have to be balanced against the marine pollution that can cause fish, and the oils extracted from them, to be contaminated with heavy metals and dioxins, and the fact that fish stocks are in global decline.

20 May 2004