Effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on hibernation and torpor: a review and hypothesis

摘要

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential dietary components that mammals cannot synthesize de novo. PUFAs are well known for their effects on certain aspects of human health, in particular on cardiovascular function (46, 58). In animals, specifically in ectotherms and mammalian hetero-therms, an important function of PUFAs, and of monounsatu-rated fatty acids (MUFAs), appears to be the maintenance of cell membrane function at varying tissue temperatures. "Homoeoviscous adaptation," that is, the adjustment of the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in membrane phospholip-ids to changes in tissue temperature is thought to regulate membrane fluidity and the functioning of transmembrane proteins (2, 67, 73).