Postprandial Oxylipin Modulation after Icosapent Ethyl Supplementation: A Pilot Clinical Trial

• Grant number: 26/00286-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2026
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Inar Castro Erger
• Grantee: Abner Lourenço da Silva
• Supervisor: Cecile Gladine
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Institut National De Recherche Pour L'Agriculture, L'Alimentation Et L'Environnement, France
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/14212-4 - Variability in human fatty acid profiles based on blood fractions and metabolic conditions, BP.IC

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, non-resolving inflammatory disease in which postprandial hyperglycemia and lipemia contribute to oxidative stress and vascular damage, sustaining residual cardiovascular risk despite control of traditional factors. Oxylipins, small bioactive lipids generated from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), are central mediators of inflammation and its resolution, and their profile depends on the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid precursors. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), provided as icosapent ethyl ester (IPE), can be incorporated into cell membranes and compete with arachidonic acid for oxidative enzymes, favoring the generation of less inflammatory and more pro-resolving oxylipins. This project aims to conduct a pilot clinical trial to characterize the fasting and postprandial oxylipin profile of individuals supplemented with IPE compared with non-supplemented individuals. In a single-center study, adults without major comorbidities will receive 1.8 g/day IPE from fish oil capsules for eight weeks. Blood will be collected at baseline and after supplementation, in fasting and 120 min after a standardized breakfast. Fatty acid composition in plasma, erythrocytes and lipid fractions will be quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and plasma oxylipins will be quantified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.We expect IPE supplementation to increase EPA incorporation into lipids and shift the oxylipin pattern toward pro-resolving mediators in the postprandial state. The results will provide mechanistic insight into how EPA may attenuate postprandial inflammation and help reduce residual cardiovascular risk. (AU)