Table 2.
Fatty Acid Metabolite:Precursor Ratios
| Fatty acid ratioa | Enzyme | Normal (n = 19) | Bipolar (n = 18) | Δ (%) | P-valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturated fatty acids | |||||
| Oleic acid:Stearic acid | Δ9-desaturase | 0.86 ± 0.3 | 1.06 ± .07 | + 19 | 0.009 |
| Palmitoleic acid:Palmitic acid | Δ9-desaturase | 0.02 ± .00 | 0.03 ± .00 | + 12 | 0.002 |
| Monosaturated fatty acid | |||||
| cis-Vaccenic acid:Palmitoleic acid | Elongase | 6.48 ± .22 | 6.63 ± .21 | + 2 | 0.625 |
| Omega-6 fatty acids | |||||
| Homo-γ-Linolenic acid:Linoleic acid | Δ6-desaturase | 1.36 ± .09 | 1.65 ± .35 | + 18 | 0.084 |
| Arachidonic acid:Homo-γ-Linolenic acid | Δ5-desaturase | 8.92 ± .05 | 8.20 ± .41 | - 8 | 0.254 |
| Adrenic acid:Arachidonic acid | Elongase | 0.62 ± .02 | 0.79 ± .05 | + 21 | 0.0008 |
| Docosapentaenoic acid:Adrenic acid | Peroxisomalc | 0.33 ± .02 | 0.25 ± .03 | - 24 | 0.055 |
a
Data expressed as mean ± S.E.M.
b
Unpaired t-test (two-tailed).
c
Acyl CoA desaturation + β-oxidation.