DHA and EPA exacerbate hypoxia-induced ferroptosis in gastric and small intestinal mucosa by disrupting the balance between SLC7A11 upregulation and PUFA-PL accumulation

The study found that DHA and EPA produced context-dependent effects in gastrointestinal mucosa. Although SLC7A11 upregulation supported protection under normoxia, hypoxia shifted the balance toward PUFA-phospholipid accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and ferroptotic injury, clarifying why these fatty acids can worsen mucosal damage under low oxygen.

Trypan blue-stained cells were analyzed with the Countstar Mira BF automatic cell analyzer to calculate cell death rates in hypoxia and ferroptosis experiments.