Unraveling the Complex Relationship Triad between Lipids, Obesity, and Inflammation

Figure 1

Major lipid influences in the inflammatory cascade. The different lipid molecules influenced by diet modulate the inflammatory cascade resulting in inflammation, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Dietary linoleic gets converted to the principally important proinflammatory arachidonic acid by the action of several enzymes. Further arachidonic acid by the action of COX, LOX gives rise to inflammatory responses. Linolenic acid on the other hand gets converted to eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid which release anti-inflammatory resolvins, protectins, and maresins. Listed below are the abbreviations used in the figure: LA: linoleic acid; ALA: alpha linolenic acid; PLA2: phospholipase 2; GLA: gamma linolenic acid; DGLA: dihomo gamma linolenic acid; LT: Leukotriene; PGs: prostaglandins; TXA: thromboxane; COX: cyclooxygenase; LOX: lipoxygenase; RvD: resolvins; PD1: protectins; MaR: maresins; EETs: epoxyeicosatrienoic acids; HETEs: hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids; HPETE: 5-hydroperoxy eicosatetraenoic acid; DHET: 14,15-dihydro eicosatrienoic acid; PPARs: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; GPCRs: G protein coupled receptors.