Phospholipid fatty acid composition affects enzymatic antioxidant defenses in cultured Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts

The aim of this work was to study the adaptation of enzymatic antioxidant cell defense to the nature of the membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). 3T3 Swiss fibroblasts were grown for 5 days in a medium supplemented with 50 microM linoleic acid (LA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and compared to control cells (C). The phospholipid fatty acid content was evaluated: LA were enriched in n-6 PUFA (27.8%) in comparison to C (6.7%) or EPA (5.6%); EPA were enriched in n-3 PUFA (26.2%) in comparison to LA (4.4%) or C (4.6%). The fatty acid double bond index (DBI) increased from C to LA and EPA. The activities of the three key enzymatic antioxidant defenses, SOD, GPx and GST, increased with the degree of unsaturation of the phospholipid fatty acids. In the cells with fatty acids that are very sensitive to oxidative stress, the higher activities of SOD and GPx might act to limit the initiation of lipid peroxidation and the higher activities of GST and GPx to decrease the toxic effects of the various species produced from lipid degradation.