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Dietary Supplementation of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: November 29, 2013
Feeding regulation by oleoylethanolamide synthesized from dietary oleic acid
Miki Igarashi1, Kensuke Iwasa2, Keisuke Yoshikawa2
1Department of Applied Biological Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Oleoylethanolamide (OEA), a well-known satiety factor, is produced during feeding in the proximal intestine. Enterocytes sense oleic acid in dietary fat via CD36 and convert it to OEA through NAPE-PLD dependent or independent pathways. The satiety function of OEA is known to involve peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor type-α (PPAR-α). OEA stimulates afferent sensory fibers (possibly those of the vagus nerve) and provoke the recruitment of feeding-controlling circuits in the brain that use oxytocin and histamine as neurotransmitters for regulating satiety. Dysfunction of OEA synthesis by high-fat feeding might contribute to increased weight and obesity. Here, we describe the roles played by OEA in the regulation of energy metabolism and food intake by introducing our preliminary data regarding this lipid mediator, and we briefly outline the biosynthesis and deactivation of OEA.
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