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Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Saturated Fatty Acids Induce Ceramide-associated Macrophage Cell Death
Published on: October 31, 2017
Omega-3 fatty acid-derived mediators that control inflammation and tissue homeostasis
Tomoaki Ishihara1, Mio Yoshida1,2, Makoto Arita1,2,3
1Laboratory for Metabolomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Abstract:
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, display a wide range of beneficial effects in humans and animals. Many of the biological functions of PUFAs are mediated via bioactive metabolites produced by fatty acid oxygenases such as cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based mediator lipidomics revealed a series of novel bioactive lipid mediators derived from omega-3 PUFAs. Here, we describe recent advances on omega-3 PUFA-derived mediators, mainly focusing on their enzymatic oxygenation pathway, and their biological functions in controlling inflammation and tissue homeostasis.
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