Unexpected pharmacological effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs): A new mechanism by which n-3 PUFAs produce blood vessel relaxation

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The present study was carried out to have better understanding of the blood vessel relaxant effect of an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and its mechanism. In rat aorta and mesenteric artery, DHA was found to selectively and potently relax the vessels that were contracted with the agonists for TP and FP receptors. Furthermore, it was suggested that these DHA-induced vascular relaxant effects are partly mediated through CYP-dependent epoxygenase products of DHA and some potassium channels. These prostanoid receptor-selective blood vessel relaxations to DHA may partly account for circulatory-protective effects of omega-3 PUFAs such as DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which have been proposed by many epidemiological investigations.