A novel relation of fatty acid with age-related macular degeneration.

To evaluate the relation between fatty acids and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the fatty acid fractions within the red blood cell (RBC) membrane and plasma of 11 ARMD patients and 10 healthy individuals (controls) were determined and compared. RBC arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) exhibited significantly higher values in the ARMD patients than in the controls. RBC levels of palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic and linoleic acids, however, showed significantly higher values in the controls than in the ARMD patients. No significant variations were observed between the two groups in terms of plasma levels of AA, DHA, palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic and linoleic acids. Our findings indicate that polyunsaturated fatty acids, vulnerable to free radicals and reactive oxygen species, and easily peroxidized, may be related to ARMD induction. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel