Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 40-50 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 44 contaminants such as heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish oil supplements that can be a safer alternative to the consumption of omega-3 (Sherratt et al., 2023). Figure 1 Modification in HDL size, by time and intervention (Adopted from Cartolano et al., 2022) Image caption: (A,B) HDLLARGE, (C,D) HDLINTERMEDIATE, (E,F) HDLSMALL, (G) Changes in HDL subfractions are shown in percentage, and (H) Concentration. *p<0.05, p-values were obtained using paired t or Wilcoxon tests. **p<0.05, p-values were obtained using paired t-Student or Mann-Whitney tests (Adopted from Cartolano et al., 2022) 5.3 Mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids influence lipid metabolism Omega-3 fatty acids modulate lipid metabolism by various mechanisms. One of the principal mechanisms is decreasing triglyceride levels by inhibiting hepatic very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) production and enhancing the clearance of triglycerides from the blood (Bornfeldt, 2021). The mechanism is mediated by the activation of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of triglycerides in blood (Vors et al., 2020). In addition, omega-3 fatty acids can also modulate the expression of lipid metabolism genes leading to decreased lipogenesis and increased oxidation of fatty acids. Regulation of genes is also responsible for decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and improving lipid profiles as a whole (Wang et al., 2020). Further, omega-3s have also been found to alter the lipid structure of the cell membrane, impacting membrane-bound receptors and lipid metabolism enzymes, and hence being accountable for their lipid-lowering effect (Simopoulos, 1991).
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