Modulation of oxidative stress response by flaxseed oil: Role of lipid peroxidation and underlying mechanisms

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA's) are majorly classified as ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids. The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, ω-3:20-5), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, ω-3:22-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, ω-3:18-3) are known ω-3 fatty acids, extracted from animal (e.g fish oil) and plant sources (e.g flaxseed oil). Furthermore, linoleic acid (LA, ω-6:18-2) is recognized as ω-6 fatty acid and the most prominent biological fatty acid with a pro-inflammatory response. Flaxseed oil has variety of biological roles, due to the significant amount of ω-3/ω-6 fatty acids. Numerous studies have reported that ALA (ω-3:18-3) and LA (ω-6:18-2) has diverse pharmacological activities. The ALA (ω-3:18-3) and LA (ω-6:18-2) are recognised to be the pharmacological antagonist. For example, ALA (ω-3:18-3) is recognised as anti-inflammatory, whereas LA (ω-6:18-2) is considered to be pro-inflammatory. PUFA's get oxidized in three ways; firstly, free radical-mediated pathway, secondly non-free radical non-enzymatic metabolism, and lastly enzymatic degradation. The present report is an attempt to summarize various modes of PUFA's metabolism and elaborate biological effects of the associated metabolites concerning flaxseed oil.