Table 4.
Fatty acid analysis of the plasma PL (phospholipid) fraction in patients with pneumonia, septicemia, RA, and lupus
| Fatty acid | Control (n = 10) | Pneumonia (n = 12) | Septicemia (n = 14) | RA (n = 12) | SLE (n = 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:0 | 24.8 ± 3.4 | 32.5 ± 3.6 | 26.95 ± 4.1 | 30.2 ± 3.0 | 32.0 ± 3.75 |
| 18:0 | 23.3 ± 4.1 | 21.4 ± 7.1 | 24.58 ± 6.0 | 19.0 ± 6.1 | 14.6 ± 5.82 |
| 18:1 n-9 | 13.1 ± 2.3 | 15.6 ± 3.2 | 16.5 ± 3.3b | 14.8 ± 2.1 | 16.0 ± 2.76 |
| 18:2 n-6 | 17.7 ± 3.1 | 14,2 ± 0.3b | 16.3 ± 2.4 | 17.5 ± 2.7 | 20.8 ± 2.2 |
| 18:3 n-6 | 0.13 ± 0.09 | 0.13 ± 0.08 | 0.04 ± 0.05b | 0.02 ± 0.04a | 0.01 ± 0.01a |
| 20:3 n-6 | 3.2 ± 0.79 | 1.5 ± 0.4b | 0.46 ± 0.54b | 2.5 ± 0.58 | 2.12 ± 0.52 |
| 20:4 n-6 | 8.8 ± 2.0 | 5.1 ± 0.4b | 5.8 ± 1.6b | 9.5 ± 2.2 | 8.93 ± 2.0 |
| 22:4 n-6 | 0.42 ± 0.23 | 0.8 ± 0.9 | 0.34 ± 0.28 | 0.26 ± 0.37a | 0.18 ± 0.18a |
| 22:5 n-6 | 0.73 ± 0.55 | 0.45 ± 0.63 | 1.5 ± 1.02b | 0.6 ± 0.7 | 0.8 ± 1.0 |
| 18:3 n-6/18:2 n-6 | 0.007 | 0.0092 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.004 |
| 20:4 n-6/18:2 n-6 | 0.35 | 0.36 | 0.5 | 0.54 | 0.44 |
| 20:4 n-6/20:3 n-6 | 4.01 | 3.4 | 2.75 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| 18:3 n-3 | 0.27 ± 0.12 | 0.09 ± 0.04b | 0.16 ± 0.11b | 0.12 ± 0.16b | 0.1 ± 0.1b |
| 20:5 n-3 | 0.25 ± 0.26 | 0.23 ± 0.24 | 0.01 ± 0.01b | 0.05 ± 0.14a | 0.04 ± 0.04a |
| 22:5 n-3 | 0.54 ± 0.16 | 0.44 ± 0.53 | 0.29 ± 0.12b | 0.69 ± 0.05 | 0.21 ± 0.35b |
| 22:6 n-3 | 1.43 ± 0.43 | 0.54 ± 0.43b | 1.2 ± 1.14 | 0.62 ± 0.56b | 0.88 ± 0.75b |
| 20:5 n-3/18:3 n-3 | 0.92 | 1.55 | 0.06 | 0.41 | 0.40 |
All values ae expressed as mean ± S.D; ap <0.001 compared to control; bp <0.05 compared to control.
18:3 n-6/18:2 n-6 ratio denotes the activity of Δ6 desaturase; 20:4 n-6/20:3 n-6 ratio denotes the activity of Δ5 desaturase; 20:4 n-6/18:2 n-6 and 20:5 n-3/18:3 n-3 ratios denote the activity of both Δ6 and Δ5 desaturases; It is interesting to note that lipid peroxides are increased in sepsis, pneumonia and lupus and RA (Table 6). Both sepsis and COVID-19 are characterized by pneumonia. There are some specific changes in the levels of various fatty acids in sepsis, pneumonia, RA, and lupus. Sepsis is characterized by deficiency of GLA/DGLA/AA/EPA compared to other inflammatory conditions such as pneumonia, RA and lupus. A similar deficiency of these fatty acids is predicted in COVID-19. Data for Tables 6 and 7 is taken from (reference 59: Das UN, Ramesh G, Kumar SG, et al. Free radicals, lipid peroxidation and essential fatty acids in patients with pneumonia, septicemia and collagen vascular diseases. J Nutr Med 1992;3:117–127).