Plasma fatty acids and lipid hydroperoxides increase after antibiotic therapy in cystic fibrosis

¹ Dept of Internal Medicine and Cystic Fibrosis, Adult Centre, EA 3096 Université Claude Bernard and Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, 69495 Pierre-Bénite Cedex, France.
² Dept of Biostatistics, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 162 avenue Lacassagne 69424, Lyon Cedex 03, France.
³ Dept of General, Metabolic, and Molecular Biochemistry, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, 69495 Pierre-Bénite Cedex, France.
⁴ Federation of Biochemistry, EA 3090 Université Claude Bernard and Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, 69437 Lyon Cedex 03, France.
⁵ Dept of Paediatrics and Cystic Fibrosis, Paediatric Centre, EA 3096 Université Claude Bernard and Hospices Civils de Lyon, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, 69495 Pierre-Bénite Cedex, France.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: isabelle.durieu{at}chu-lyon.fr.

	Abstract

We investigated whether cystic fibrosis is linked to a defect in fatty acids and assessed the impact of the main patients' characteristics on the levels of several fatty acids, mostly during respiratory exacerbation and after antibiotic therapy.

Fatty acid phospholipid and cholesteryl ester levels were measured in stable-state patients and controls. No differences were found concerning both fractions of palmitic and oleic acids or the cholesteryl esters of alpha-linolenic and arachidonic acids. However, phospholipids of alpha-linolenic and arachidonic acids as well as cholesteryl esters and phospholipids of stearic and linoleic acids were lower in patients than in controls, but both fractions of dihomo-gamma-linolenic, docosatetraenoic, docosapentaenoic, palmitoleic, and eicosatrienoic acids were higher.

Fatty acid levels, oxidative stress markers, nutriments, body mass index, and forced expiratory volume were measured in patients before and after antibiotic courses for bronchial exacerbation. After adjustments, palmitic, stearic, alpha-linolenic, linoleic, arachidonic, palmitoleic, and oleic acids generally decreased during exacerbation but almost all increased after antibiotic courses. Nearly all fractions increased along with forced expiratory volume and a positive relationship linked fatty acids to lipid hydroperoxides.

There was no general drop in fatty acids. Patients' fatty acid profiles depended on the pulmonary function and the inflammation state.