Gender affects liver desaturase expression in a rat model of n−3 fatty acid repletion☆

Dietary n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are major components of cell membranes and have beneficial effects on human health. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n−3) is the most biologically important n−3 PUFA and can be synthesized from its dietary essential precursor, α-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n−3). Gender differences in the efficiency of DHA bioconversion have been reported, but underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. We compared the...