Various plant seeds have received little attention in fatty acid research. Seeds from 30 species mainly of Boraginaceae and Primulaceae were analysed in order to identify potential new sources of the n-3 PUFA α-linolenic acid (ALA) and stearidonic acid (SDA) and of the n-6 PUFA γ-linolenic acid (GLA). The fatty acid distribution differed enormously between genera of the same family. Echium species (Boraginaceae) contained the highest amount of total n-3 PUFA (47.1%), predominantly ALA (36.6%) and SDA (10.5%) combined with high GLA (10.2%). Further species of Boraginaceae rich in both SDA and GLA were Omphalodes linifolia (8.4, 17.2%, resp.), Cerinthe minor (7.5, 9.9%, resp.) and Buglossoides purpureocaerulea (6.1, 16.6%, resp.). Alkanna species belonging to Boraginaceae had comparable amounts of ALA (37.3%) and GLA (11.4%) like Echium but lower SDA contents (3.7%). Different genera of Primulaceae (Dodecatheon and Primula) had varying ALA (14.8, 28.8%, resp.) and GLA portions (4.1, 1.5%, resp.), but similar amounts of SDA (4.9, 4.5%, resp.). Cannabis sativa cultivars (Cannabaceae) were rich in linoleic acid (57.1%), but poor in SDA and GLA (0.8, 2.7%, resp.). In conclusion, several of the presented plant seeds contain considerable amounts of n-3 PUFA and GLA, which could be relevant for nutritional purposes due to their biological function as precursors for eicosanoid synthesis. Practical applications N-3 PUFA are important for human health and nutrition. Unfortunately, due to the increasing world population, overfishing of the seas and generally low amounts of n-3 PUFA in major oil crops, there is a demand for new sources of n-3 PUFA. One approach involves searching for potential vegetable sources of n-3 PUFA; especially those rich in ALA and SDA. The conversion of ALA to SDA in humans is dependent on the rate-limiting Δ6-desaturation. Plant-derived SDA is therefore a promising precursor regarding the endogenous synthesis of n-3 long-chain PUFA in humans. The present study shows that, in addition to seed oil of Echium, other species of Boraginaceae (Cerinthe, Omphalodes, Lithospermum, Buglossoides) and Primulaceae (Dodecatheon, Primula), generally high in n-3 PUFA (30–50%), contain considerable amounts of SDA (5–10%). Therefore, these seed oils could be important for nutrition.

中文翻译：

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在植物种子中寻找对健康有益的 n-3 和 n-6 脂肪酸

各种植物种子在脂肪酸研究中很少受到关注。对主要来自紫草科和报春花科的 30 种种子进行了分析，以确定 n-3 PUFA α-亚麻酸 (ALA) 和硬脂酸 (SDA) 以及 n-6 PUFA γ-亚麻酸 (GLA) 的潜在新来源）。同一科属之间的脂肪酸分布差异很大。Echium 物种（紫杉科）含有最高数量的 n-3 PUFA (47.1%)，主要是 ALA (36.6%) 和 SDA (10.5%) 与高 GLA (10.2%) 结合。富含 SDA 和 GLA 的紫草科其他物种是 Omphalodes linifolia (8.4, 17.2%, resp.), Cerinthe minor (7.5, 9.9%, resp.) 和 Buglossoides purpureocaerulea (6.1, 16.6%, resp.)。属于紫草科的 Alkanna 物种具有相当数量的 ALA (37.3%) 和 GLA (11. 4%) 像 Echium，但 SDA 含量较低 (3.7%)。报春科的不同属（十二仙和报春花）具有不同的 ALA（分别为 14.8、28.8%）和 GLA（分别为 4.1、1.5%），但 SDA 的数量相似（分别为 4.9、4.5%）。大麻品种（大麻科）富含亚油酸（57.1%），但缺乏 SDA 和 GLA（分别为 0.8、2.7%）。总之，一些提出的植物种子含有大量的 n-3 PUFA 和 GLA，由于它们作为类二十烷酸合成前体的生物学功能，它们可能与营养目的相关。实际应用 N-3 PUFA 对人类健康和营养很重要。不幸的是，由于世界人口不断增加、海洋过度捕捞以及主要油料作物中 n-3 PUFA 的含量普遍较低，因此需要新的 n-3 PUFA 来源。一种方法是寻找 n-3 PUFA 的潜在植物来源；特别是那些富含 ALA 和 SDA 的人。人体中 ALA 向 SDA 的转化取决于限速 Δ6-去饱和。因此，植物来源的 SDA 是人类内源性合成 n-3 长链 PUFA 的有前途的前体。本研究表明，除了蓝蓟的种子油外，其他紫草科（Cerinthe、Omphalodes、Lithospermum、Buglossoides）和报春花科（Dodecatheon、Primula）的 n-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（30-50%）含量普遍较高。大量的 SDA (5–10%)。因此，这些种子油可能对营养很重要。因此，植物来源的 SDA 是人类内源性合成 n-3 长链 PUFA 的有前途的前体。本研究表明，除了蓝蓟的种子油外，其他紫草科（Cerinthe、Omphalodes、Lithospermum、Buglossoides）和报春花科（Dodecatheon、Primula）的 n-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（30-50%）含量普遍较高。大量的 SDA (5–10%)。因此，这些种子油可能对营养很重要。因此，植物来源的 SDA 是人类内源性合成 n-3 长链 PUFA 的有前途的前体。本研究表明，除了蓝蓟的种子油外，其他紫草科（Cerinthe、Omphalodes、Lithospermum、Buglossoides）和报春花科（Dodecatheon、Primula）的 n-3 多不饱和脂肪酸（30-50%）含量普遍较高。大量的 SDA (5–10%)。因此，这些种子油可能对营养很重要。