Long-chain n-3 fatty acids in lipid rafts: implications for anti-inflammatory effects.

Emerging evidence indicates that dietary intake of long-chain n-3 fatty acids changes the lipid composition of lipid rafts and caveolae, which are cholesterol- and sphingolipid-rich microdomains of the plasma membrane. Membrane proteins that are involved in signal transduction events relevant to inflammation are specifically localised to these microdomains. By altering the lipid composition of the membrane microdomains, n-3 fatty acids have the potential to modulate these signalling events and exert anti-inflammatory actions.