Blood cell redox status and fatty acids

Glutathione-dependent peroxidase (GSH-Px) degrades the deleterious hydroperoxides, including those issued from arachidonic acid (AA) by the action of lipoxygenases, into their alcohol counterpart. We report that the hyperactivity of platelets from elderly people and of polymorphonuclear neutrophils from allergic patients, at least partly due to higher formation of thromboxane A2 and leukotriene B4, respectively, is associated with a depressed GSH-Px activity. As we report that n-3 fatty acids may enhance the cell GSH-Px activity, we conclude that the reduction of cell hyperactivity described in response to those fatty acids might be linked to their effect on GSH-Px.