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Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Saturated Fatty Acids Induce Ceramide-associated Macrophage Cell Death
Published on: October 31, 2017
Effect of solvent on cytotoxicity and bioavailability of fatty acids
Jan Hosek1, Veronika Zavalova, Peter Kollar
1Department of Natural Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic. hosekj@vfu.cz
Abstract:
Fatty acids (FAs) represent an important part of cell membranes and a source of energy. However, their abundance is linked with several diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, and for this reason they are studied intensively. In this article we compare the two main methods of dissolving FAs for work in vitro, (i) dissolution in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and (ii) conjugation with bovine serum albumin (BSA), and describe the effects of the solvent on cytotoxicity (determination of viability) and bioavailability (as shown by the impact on the gene expression of TNF-alpha). We have found that conjugation with BSA is significantly less cytotoxic than dissolution in DMSO and also yields greater bioavailability.
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