One year of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation does not reduce circulating prothrombotic microvesicles in elderly subjects after suffering a myocardial infarction

Abstract

Background & aims: Circulating microvesicles (cMV) are both effectors and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and the effects of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3 PUFA) in MV shedding are not yet well known. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of long-term n3 PUFA supplementation on cMV release from cells of the vascular compartment in elderly subjects at very high risk of CVD.

Methods: We included 156 elderly patients 2-8 weeks after suffering an acute myocardial infarction from the OMEMI cohort. Subjects were randomly allocated to receive 930 mg EPA + 660 mg DHA (n3 PUFA intervention) or corn oil (56% linoleic acid, 32% oleic acid, 10% palmitic acid) used as placebo daily for two years. At inclusion and after one-year follow-up, prothrombotic [annexin V (AV)⁺] cMV derived from blood and vascular cells were phenotyped by flow cytometry.

Results: No differences were observed in the levels of cMV between the randomized groups at inclusion in the study. After one-year follow-up, total AV⁺, platelet-derived CD61⁺/AV⁺, and endothelial-derived CD31⁺/AV⁺ and CD31⁺/CD42b^-/AV⁺ cMV increased significantly in both groups. In the n3 PUFA supplemented group, platelet-derived CD62P⁺/AV⁺, CD42b⁺/AV⁺ and CD31⁺/CD42b⁺/AV⁺; leukocyte-derived CD62L⁺/AV⁺, CD45⁺/AV⁺, and CD11b⁺/AV⁺, as well as endothelial derived CD146⁺/AV⁺, CD62E⁺/AV⁺, and CD309⁺/AV⁺ cMV also increased significantly. No significant differences were however, observed in the changes of cMV levels between groups.

Conclusion: In elderly Norwegians who have suffered a recent acute myocardial infarction and treated as per guidelines, long-term supplementation with 1.8 g/day n3 PUFA does not modulate prothrombotic MV release from blood and vascular cells.

Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01841944.

Keywords: DHA; EPA; Elderly; Microvesicles; Omega 3 fatty acids; Thrombosis.