Gamolenic acid 80mg capsules
Gamolenic acid, or gamma-linolenic acid (γ-Linolenic acid) or GLA, is an essential fatty acid (EFA) comprised of 18 carbon atoms with three double bonds [F27] that is most commonly found in human milk and other botanical sources [A32848].
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Gamolenic acid
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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18 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
400 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
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Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
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SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 29 · Randomised trials: 1 · 1953–2020
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
B. Neuschwander‐Tetri, R. Loomba, A. Sanyal, et al.
Lancet, 2014
Wei Jia, G. Xie, Weiping Jia
Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 2017
Nikos Koundouros, G. Poulogiannis
British Journal of Cancer, 2019
S. Sergeant, Elaheh Rahbar, F. Chilton
European journal of pharmacology, 2016
J. Horton, J. Goldstein, Michael S. Brown
The Journal of clinical investigation, 2002
Donald Garlotta
Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 2001
P. Chambon
The FASEB Journal, 1996
A. Simopoulos
Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2008
D. Janero
Free radical biology & medicine, 1990
J. Menéndez, R. Lupu
Nature Reviews Cancer, 2007
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
Not available
Mechanism
Once gamolenic acid (GLA) is absorbed and converted to dihomo-gamolenic acid (DG…
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
None mapped
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
Half-life
Protein binding
Volume of distribution
Metabolism
Elimination
Clearance
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 90 interactions
GLA is proposed to enhance calcium absorption, reduce excretion and increase calcium deposition in bone [A32862]. It is proposed that GLA may suppress tumor growth in vivo by increasing the expression of E-cadherin, a cell-to-cell adhesion molecule that acts as a suppressor of metastasis. Another possible mechanism of tumour suppression is that GLA also reduces tumor-endothelium adhesion, which is a key factor in the establishment of distant metastases, partly by improving gap junction communication within the endothelium [A32849]. By targeting the inflammatory process involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, GLA inhibits the expression of inflammatory mediators that tend be elevated in diabetes, intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), thereby attenuates the recruitment and infiltration of monocytes or macrophages [A32850].
Bone and joint health: In a pilot study of women with a mean age of 79.5 years and senile osteoporosis, the use of gamolenic acid in combination with calcium and eicosapentaenoic acid was associated with an increase in femoral bone density and lumbar spine density in comparison to placebo, where there were no observable changes [A32862]. In clinical studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, treatment with gamolenic acid-containing oils resulted in an improvement in symptoms, measured by joint tenderness counts and scores, joint swelling scores, physician global assessment, and pain F27.
Inflammation: A study demonstrated that oral administration of gamolenic acid suppressed human T-cell proliferation and activation by interfering with early events in the TcR/CD3-receptor–mediated signal transduction cascade [A32849].
Atherosclerosis: In ApoE genetic knock-out mice, dietary gamolenic acid was shown to reduce the average medial layer thickness of the vessel wall and reduces the size of atherosclerotic lesions [A32849].
Diabetic complications: In a clinical trial of patients with mild diabetic neuropathy or distal diabetic neuropathy, treatment with gamolenic acid was associated with improved symptoms in hot and cold threshold, sensation, tendon reflexes, and muscle strength F27. GLA ameliorated the inflammatory profile in diabetic nephropathy in rat studies [A32850].
Cancer: In three human tumor cell lines (the neuroblastoma CHP-212, the tubal carcinoma TG, and the colon carcinoma SW-620), gamolenic acid elicited cytotoxic effects in tumours by blocking cell proliferation following incorporation into malignant cells [A32860]. In both clinical and animal studies of breast cancer, gamolenic acid, in combination with tamoxifen, down-regulated the expression of estrogen receptors F27.
Skin disorders: In an open study of patients with atopic dermatitis, which is a disorder related to a deficiency of delta-6-desaturase and inefficient conversion of linoleic acid to gamolenic acid, daily administration of gamolenic acid was associated with a significant increase in plasma GLA and DGLA levels in combination with an improvement of clinical signs of atopic dermatitis [A32863].
Respiratory disorders: In patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome, gamolenic acid was shown to reduce cytokine production and neutrophil recruitment into the lung [A32848]. In patients with atopic asthma, gamolenic acid blocked ex vivo synthesis of leukotrienes from whole blood and isolated neutrophils compared to the placebo group [A32848].
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A32848]
PGE1 may be metabolized to smaller prostaglandin remnants, primarily dicarboxylic acids, which undergo renal excretion F27. DGLA may be converted to 15-(S)-hydroxy-8,11,13-eicosatrienoic acid (15-HETrE) by 15-lipoxygenase enzyme .
[A32848]
Although the enzymatic pathway is less predominant relative to ELOVL5 in most cells, DGLA may also be converted to arachidonic acid (AA) via delta-5-desaturate activity [A32852], where hydrogen atoms are selectively removed to create new double bonds F27]. Arachidonic acid is a precursor in the biosynthesis of prostaglandin E2, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes, which are potent inflammatory mediators and play an important role in inflammatory pathways.
ATC D11AX02
ATC D11AX52
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Gamolenic acid
DrugBank citations
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q415885), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.