ABSTRACT
Cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) may play an important role in initiation and progression of atherosclerosis in both healthy subjects and in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Accumulating evidence supports a cardioprotective eff ect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of marine origin and the benefi cial eff ect could in part be due to anti-infl ammatory and anti-atherosclerotic properties of these fatty acids. In vitro and animal data suggest that n-3 PUFA are inversely associated with CAMs. However, human studies of the eff ects of n-3 PUFA on serum levels of soluble CAMs in both healthy subject and in patients with IHD are not entirely consistent. Most randomized controlled trials have been small and rather heterogeneous with respect to dose of n-3 PUFA and the period of
intervention. Larger studies over extended periods are warranted for a conclusion on whether n-3 PUFA exerts benefi cial eff ects with respect to vascular disease by modulation of CAMs.
