Essential Fatty Acids in Health and Diseases—in Honor of Prof. Undurti N. Das

Dear Colleagues,

Biomolecules invites submissions for a Special Issue in honor of Professor Undurti Das, in recognition of his remarkable contributions to the literature on the role of lipids and fatty acids in health and disease.

Undurti Narasimha Das (U. N. Das) was born in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. He completed his undergraduate studies and obtained a degree in Medical Science and Surgery at Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India. After completing the degree requirements, he joined Osmania University, Hyderabad, India, as a senior fellow of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). He obtained his MD in Internal Medicine in 1981 from Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India. His dissertation topic for his DSc at Mangalore University, Karnataka, India, was “Is there a role for bioactive lipids in the photobiology of diabetes mellitus?” He continued his work in the Department of Genetics as an Indian Councill of Medical Research (ICMR) and research associate. In 1984, he moved to Canada to join the Efamol Research Institute, Kentville, NS, as a scientist. He returned to Hyderabad, India, in 1986 and joined Nizams’ Institute of Medical Sciences as an associate professor in the Departments of Clinical Pharmacology and Medical Research. He served this Institute until 1996 and later held the position of Professor of Medicine from 1988 until 1996. After leaving Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, he worked at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute as a professor and as the Head of the Divisions of Internal Medicine, Clinical Immunology, and Biochemistry until 1999. In 1999, he emigrated to the USA and because the chairman of EFA Sciences, Norwood, MA. During this period (1999–2004), he also served as a research professor of surgery, nutrition, and physiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY (2003–2004). In 2004, he founded UND Life Sciences in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a biotechnology company, and became its chief executive officer. In addition to UND Life Sciences, he is also the director of Primrose Biosciences, a Hyderabad-based company that is involved in the research and experimental development of lipid-based drugs. As a physician/scientist, he has significantly contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the role of lipids in health and disease.

Dr Das is a prolific writer and has published more than 550 research articles. ResearchGate, an online repository of scientific articles, lists 500 of them. He also has authored four books: A Perinatal Strategy to Prevent Adult Diseases; Metabolic Syndrome- Pathophysiology, The Role of Essential Fatty Acids; Molecular Basis of Health and Disease; and Molecular Biochemical Basis of Cancer. He has obtained 5 UNSA patents.

Dr Das is the Founding editor of Lipids in Health and Disease, a journal by BioMed Central, and previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of Current Nutrition & Food Sciences, published by Bentham Science. Currently, he is the Editor-in-Chief of Current Pathobiology Reports, which is published by Springer-Nature. He is on the Editorial Board of a number of well-reputed medical journals.

Dr Das has received numerous awards, including the Ramalingaswamy Re-Entry Fellowship from the Department of Biotechnology, India; the Shakuntala Amirchand Prize of the ICMR; the Prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize from the CSIR; and Distinguished Scientist Award from the South Asian Society on Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis (SASAT). He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Essential Fatty Acids in Health and Disease:

Lipids and their bioactive metabolites play a very important role in health and disease. In their broadest definition, lipids include cholesterol and are Essential parts of fatty acids, phospholipids, inositol lipids, second messenger lipids, and enzymes. In this Special Issue, we will mostly concentrate on the role of essential fatty acids in health and disease. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are fatty acids that humans must ingest because the body requires them to maintain good health but cannot synthesize them. The three main omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Other important EFAs include cholesterol, oleic acid, omega-6 fatty acids, linoleic acid, and several other polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs). All fats, including saturated fatty acids, play important roles in human physiology. However, the most important EFAs are based on linoleic acid (Omega-6 group) and alpha linolenic acid (Omega-3 group). These lipids, particularly arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA, and cholesterol form an important constituent of the cell membrane and are involved in the regulation of inflammation. Furthermore, a high dietary intake of the omega-6 PUFA has been linked to inflammation because they are precursors of pro-inflammatory lipid mediators. It is believed that in a normal physiological state, a balance between the Omega-6 and Omega 3 FAs and their metabolites need to be maintained to regulate gene expression, eicosanoid metabolism, leukotriene metabolism, interleukins (cytokines), various growth factors, neurotransmitters, and the endocytosis and exocytosis of various hormones and other molecules. In addition, EFAs and their metabolites play a regulatory role in inflammation; the immune response; and the regeneration of cells/tissues and in the pathobiology of various, diseases including but not limited to cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, stroke, neurodevelopmental diseases, and thrombosis. The various actions of EFAs and their metabolites implies that they may form excellent drug candidates for the prevention and cure of many diseases that are yet to be explored. Thus, the time has come to develop lipid-based drugs for the prevention and progression of various diseases.

We would like to welcome contributions from experts on all aspects of EFAs related to health and disease. In this Special Issue, we would like to cover dietary sources; bioavailability; metabolism; biological activities; altered ratios in health and disease; disease prevention strategies at the individual level, population level, and from a public health provision perspective; therapeutic interventions; and guidelines covering their dose, methods of administration, and other recommendations.

Prof. Dr. Gundu H.R. Rao
Prof. Dr. Michael M. Meguid
Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Eynard
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• lipids
• fatty acids
• essential fatty acids (EFAs)
• inflammatory fatty acids
• pro- inflammatory fatty acids
• atherogenic lipids
• pro-thrombogenic fatty acids
• palmitic acid
• oleic acid
• linoleic acid
• arachidonic acid
• eicosapentaenoic acid
• docosahexaenoic acid
• omega-6 fatty acids
• omega-3 fatty acids
• saturated fatty acids
• unsaturated fatty acids
• polyunsaturated fatty acids
• lipids and health
• lipids and disease
• EFAs in health and disease