Lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), a product of phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis via phospholipase A activity, has been proposed to activate cells from a number of lineages. Here, we demonstrate that lysoPC levels are significantly elevated (by 43% overall, relative to normal controls) in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients. This does not appear to be common to all cancers as 5 out of 6 leukemia patients tested had markedly lower (less than one-half of normal) plasma lysoPC. In the plasma of ovarian cancer patients, the percentages of palmitoyl- and stearoyl-lysoPC species were significantly higher, whereas oleoyl and particularly linoleoyl-lysoPC were significantly lower than in control subjects. The molar ratios of lysoPC/PC and palmitoyl-lysoPC/linoleoyl-lysoPC were also significantly elevated in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients compared with those of control subjects. Furthermore, the calculated value of plasma (lysoPC/ PC) x (palmitoyl-lysoPC/linoleoyl-lysoPC) was markedly higher in patients compared with controls.

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Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) mediate various kinds of biological activities and play an important role in cellular signal transduction. We analyzed serum phospholipids obtained from 16 multiple myeloma (MM) patients and observed that serum LPA level was significantly higher in MM patients (5.3 +/- 0.5 nmol/mL) than in normal controls (1.7 +/- 0.3 nmol/mL). LPC level was also higher than that in normal controls, and it correlated significantly with the concentration of LPA (r = 0.678, P < 0.01). In MM patients, palmitic acid/linoleic acid ratios in phosphatidylcholine and LPC were higher than those in normal controls. In the 12-mon follow-up study of two patients with the immune globulin G type, we recognized that the increase of LPC, LPA, and arachidonic acid/linoleic acid ratio in phosphatidylinositol corresponded with a decline in the serum albumin level and choline esterase activity.

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We investigated the effects of zinc supplementation on clinical observations in chronic hepatitis C patients receiving pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) ␣-2b plus ribavirin combination therapy. Patients were randomly allocated to receive 150 mg polaprezinc (zinc group, n ϭ 11) or no supplement (control group, n ϭ 12) daily in addition to PEG-IFN ␣-2b plus ribavirin therapy and 300 mg vitamin E and 600 mg vitamin C supplementation daily for 48 wk. Among the patients who continued treatment, the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level at 12 wk in the zinc group was significantly lower than that in the control group. All patients in the zinc group (9/9) and 67% (8/12) of the control patients at 24 wk, and all patients in the zinc group (7/7) and 60% (6/10) of the control patients at 48 wk showed a decrease in serum ALT levels to within the normal range (7-44 U/L). HCV RNA disappeared in all patients (7/7) in the zinc group and in 8 of 10 control patients at 48 wk. Polaprezinc supplementation decreased plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and prevented the decrease of polyunsaturated fatty acids of erythrocyte membrane phospholipids. No significant differences were observed in the dosage of medicines or other clinical data during the treatment. These observations indicate that polaprezinc supplementation may have induced some antioxidative functions in the liver which resulted in reduced hepatocyte injury during PEG-IFN ␣-2b plus ribavirin therapy.

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SummaryTo examine predictive factors for abdominal obesity or metabolic syndrome, we investigated the association of plasma fatty acid composition, estimated desaturase activity, and nutrient intakes, with abdominal obesity or metabolic syndrome in Japanese males. Clinical characteristics, the fatty acid composition of plasma cholesteryl esters, and energy and nutrient intakes were analyzed in 3 groups: metabolic syndrome (MS, n ϭ 24), abdominal obesity (OB, n ϭ 43), and control ( n ϭ 27). The estimated desaturase activities were calculated by the ratio of 16:1 n-7/16:0, 18:3 n-6/18:2 n-6, and 20:4 n-6/20:3 n-6 in plasma cholesteryl esters as surrogates of the measure of the delta 9, delta 6, delta 5 desaturase (D9-16D, D6D and D5D) activities, respectively. Plasma fatty acid composition did not differ significantly between the OB group and the control group. The MS group had higher levels of palmitoleic, oleic, and ␥ -linolenic acids, but a lower level of linoleic acid than the control. Stronger D6D activity and weaker D5D activity were observed in the OB group. A higher level of D9-16D activity as well as a higher level of D6D activity and a lower level of D5D activity was observed in the MS group. A logistic regression analysis showed that the low D5D activity and high D9-16D activity were predictive of the development of abdominal obesity from controls (odds ratio ϭ 0.39, p Ͻ 0.05) and metabolic syndrome from abdominal obesity (odds ratio ϭ 2.44, p Ͻ 0.05), respectively. In the multiple linear regression analysis, D5D activity positively correlated with the intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In conclusion, the estimated D5D activity was a predictive factor for abdominal obesity and the estimated D9-16D activity was a predictive factor for developing metabolic syndrome from abdominal obesity in Japanese male subjects. Dietary intake of EPA would play an important role in preventing abdominal obesity and the development of metabolic syndrome. Key Words delta 5 desaturase, delta 9 desaturase, dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome Metabolic syndrome is a metabolic disorder that results from abdominal obesity. The syndrome includes insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia ( 1 ), and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes ( 2 ). A high intake of fat, particularly fat rich in saturated fatty acids (SFAs), influenced obesity, insulin resistance and the progression of metabolic syndrome ( 3 , 4 ). A high intake of carbohydrate also induced insulin resistance, increased serum triacylglycerol concentrations and decreased serum HDL cholesterol levels ( 5 ). Thus, dietary nutrient intake plays an important role in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome.The fatty acid composition of cholesteryl esters (CEs) in serum mirrors to a certain extent the dietary fatty acid composition and also reflects endogenous fatty acid metabolism ( 6-9 ). Fatty acid composition is used as an indicator of disease risk, because its alteration has b...