linoleic-acid and Multiple-Sclerosis

Serum fatty acid compositions were determined in 21 Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis and 14 neurological controls. No statistical difference was found either for linoleic acid or for arachidonic acid between the 2 groups. It may be that neither serum linoleic acid nor arachidonic acid is inevitably associated with the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis.

Topics: Adult; Arachidonic Acids; Fatty Acids; Female; Humans; Japan; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Lipids; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Clinical Trials as Topic; Dietary Fats; Double-Blind Method; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; gamma-Linolenic Acid; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Linolenic Acids; Multiple Sclerosis

Data from three double-blind trials of linoleic acid in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) were reanalyzed to examine whether inconsistency in the results was due to a relationship between patient characteristics and treatment response. The combined data consisted of neurologic assessments over 2 1/2-year trials for 87 treated patients and 85 control patients. Treated patients with minimal or no disability at entry had a smaller increase in disability than did controls (p less than 0.05). In addition, treatment reduced the severity and duration of relapses at all levels of disability and duration of illness at entry to the trials.

Topics: Clinical Trials as Topic; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Multiple Sclerosis

The influence of linoleic acid upon the sedimentation of washed erythrocytes from multiple sclerosis patients and controls was investigated in the present study. Linoleic acid, especially in the concentration of 250 microM and 500 microM, caused slowing of erythrocyte sedimentation and this effect was significantly greater in multiple sclerosis than in controls. These findings with all probability reflect an unsaturated fatty acid-dependent membrane alteration in multiple sclerosis and are analogues to results obtained earlier by several authors by using cytopherometric measurements.

Topics: Blood Sedimentation; Depression, Chemical; Erythrocyte Membrane; Erythrocytes; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Membrane Lipids; Multiple Sclerosis

Topics: Dietary Fats; Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; Fish Oils; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Multiple Sclerosis

The effects of dietary evening primrose oil (rich in linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid) were studied on platelets of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and controls. It was found that platelet aggregation (ADP, thrombin and collagen), platelet fibrinogen binding and platelet glycoprotein (sialic acid and N-acetyl glucosamine) content were not significantly modified by evening primrose oil in MS patients and controls. Moreover, platelet fibrinogen binding and platelet glycoprotein (sialic acid and N-acetyl glucosamine) content were determined for the first time in MS patients and found similar to controls. Platelets of MS patients aggregated more to thrombin and collagen compared to controls, but the difference was only significant with thrombin aggregation after the oil treatment. This study does not show a significant effect of evening primrose oil on platelets of MS patients.

Topics: 8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid; Adult; Blood Platelets; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Female; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Multiple Sclerosis; Platelet Aggregation

This study was conducted to investigate the possible differences in erythrocyte lipid composition, which might account for the previously reported increase in erythrocyte membrane zinc levels in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Compared with healthy control subjects, plasma lipids in patients with MS contained less sphingomyelin but more phosphatidylserine and the cholesterol-phospholipid ratio was 42% higher in the plasma from MS patients (p less than 0.01). In erythrocytes from MS patients, phosphatidylinositol was lower and erythrocyte cholesterol per milligram protein was significantly lower than concentrations in healthy control subjects (p less than 0.01). Among the long-chain fatty acids, the omega-3 fatty acids were lower in plasma from MS patients and linoleic acid was lower in erythrocyte ghosts from MS patients (p less than 0.01). We conclude that altered levels of cholesterol in plasma and erythrocytes from MS patients may contribute to increased erythrocyte-membrane Zn in MS patients. It cannot be stated with certainty whether the altered fatty acid profiles in MS patients were a function of the disease or of altered fatty acid intake.

Topics: Cholesterol; Erythrocyte Membrane; Erythrocytes; Fatty Acids, Essential; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Lipids; Membrane Lipids; Multiple Sclerosis; Phosphatidylserines; Phospholipids; Zinc

We found a small but statistically significant reduction in the linoleic acid concentration of white blood cells and platelets in MS patients. The percent linoleic acid concentration (mean +/- S.D.) in the white blood cells if 24 MS patients was 8.8 +/- 1.8% as compared with 11.4 +/- 4.9 in 24 age and sex-matched controls (p less than 0.05). Platelet levels were 8.5 +/- 2.4% and 10.6 +/- 3.8% respectively (P less than 0.05). Serum linoleic acid levels were not significantly different in the two groups. The possible role of linoleic acid in the pathogenesis of MS has yet to be defined.

Topics: Adult; Blood Platelets; Fatty Acids; Female; Humans; Leukocytes; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis

A labile factor in plasma (but not serum) of MS subjects confers MS like properties vis à vis effect of linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA), on the electrophoretic mobility of washed red blood cells (RBC) irrespective of their provenance. Plasma from anomalous MS relatives and other neurological diseases (OND) likewise confer corresponding properties on washed RBC. The magnitude of results produced by LA and AA on plasma coated cells is equal to that produced by LA and AA directly on the original cells and approximately twice that reported with latex particles.

Topics: Arachidonic Acid; Arachidonic Acids; Erythrocytes; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Female; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Multiple Sclerosis

The relationship between prevalence rates of multiple sclerosis (MS) in several countries and the corresponding per capita consumption of fat, beef and pork was investigated. A significant correlation was obtained between prevalence of multiple sclerosis and fat intake (r = 0.63, p less than 0.01), total meat intake (r = 0.61, p less than 0.01) and pork consumption (r = 0.87, p less than 0.001). There was no significant correlation with beef consumption. The mechanism by which pork intake may increase the risk of developing MS is unknown and deserves further study.

Topics: Animals; Cattle; Dietary Fats; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Meat; Multiple Sclerosis; Swine

Topics: Antioxidants; Ascorbic Acid; Female; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; Glutathione; Glutathione Peroxidase; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis; Selenious Acid; Selenium; Succinate Dehydrogenase; Vitamin E

Erythrocytes from multiple sclerosis patients differ significantly (p less than 0.005) from those from controls with regard to hydrophobic affinity partition in two-polymer aqueous-phase systems containing dextran, poly(ethylene glycol) and poly (ethylene glycol)-fatty acid esters. The most likely source of the abnormality is the cell membrane.

Topics: Cell Separation; Dextrans; Erythrocyte Membrane; Erythrocytes; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Membrane Lipids; Multiple Sclerosis; Polyethylene Glycols; Stearates

Lipids and constituents of lipids were isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), red blood cells (RBC), plasma and sera from 51 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 51 controls, matched for age, sex and race. The amount of sialic acid released by incubation of intact PBL from MS patients was significantly lower (P less than 0.02) than that of the sialic acid from control lymphocytes. The amounts of sialic acid released by neuraminidase from intact RBC, on the other hand, did not differ significantly between the MS group and the control group. The concentrations of ganglioside sialic acid in PBL from MS and control groups did not vary significantly. Similarly the concentration of ganglioside sialic acid in RBC from MS patients was not significantly different from that in the controls. Analyses of the fatty acids isolated after alkaline methanolysis of the lipids from the PBL of MS patients and controls showed a small but significant decrease (P less than 0.01) in the relative percentage of linoleic acid in patients with MS. Determination of the ester-linked fatty acids in RBC lipids from patients with MS showed a significant decrease (P less than 0.001) in the relative percentage of linoleic acid and an increase (P less than 0.01) in palmitic plus palmitoleic acids compared to control values. The fatty acid composition of the plasma neutral lipids plus free fatty acids showed a very significant decrease (P much less than 0.001) in the relative percentage of linoleic acid, a small decrease (P less than 0.05) in arachidonic acid and significant increases in palmitic (P less than 0.001) and oleic acids (P less than 0.001) in MS, compared to controls. These results are suggestive of possible differences in metabolism of lipids between patients with MS and controls.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Erythrocytes; Fatty Acids; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Lymphocytes; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; Sialic Acids

Using a laser cytopherometer, the electrophoretic mobility of glutaraldehyde-fixed erythrocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been compared with that of cells from control subjects. The effect of incubating cells with different concentrations of linoleic acid (LA) has been tested. At a concentration of 20 micrograms LA per 2 x 10(7) cells, slower mobilities were observed, on average, than those of control subjects, but there was overlap between control and patient groups. At a higher concentration of LA (160 micrograms per 2 x 10(7) cells), many of the MS samples showed a slower mobility than the control samples, although overlap was still evident. The value of the application of laser cytopherometry compared with conventional cytopherometry to this type of test is discussed.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Electrophoresis; Erythrocytes; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Lasers; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Electrophoresis; Erythrocytes; Female; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Sclerosis; Recurrence

Topics: Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Multiple Sclerosis; Vitamin B 12

Topics: Cholesterol; Humans; Linoleic Acid; Linoleic Acids; Lipids; Multiple Sclerosis