Differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cell gene expression and triglyceride composition in lipoprotein subclasses in plasma triglyceride responders and non-responders to omega-3 supplementation

Background Intake of the marine omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) reduces fasting triglyceride (TG) levels and may thereby lower cardiovascular disease risk. However, there are large inter-individual differences in the TG-lowering effect of omega-3 supplementation. Genotype differences partly explain this variation, but gene-environment interactions leading to gene expression differences may also be important. In this study, we aimed to investigate baseline differences and differences in the change in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression and lipoprotein subclass TG levels between TG responders and non-responders to omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.