Effect of (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids on cytokine production and their biologic function (original) (raw)
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n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids and immune function
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 1998
Considerable interest in fish oil was initially generated by epidemiological studies in Eskimos showing the beneficial effect of consuming fish and fish oil in preventing IHD (Dyerberg et al. 1978; Dyerberg & Bang, 1979). In the following two decades, investigations of fish oil have been motivated by, and extended to, many different aspects of health and disease. A wide spectrum of studies has revealed the ability of fish oil to affect the course of cardiovascular disease, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, immune function, infection, allograft rejection, and certain cancers (Fernandes & Venkatraman, 1993; Calder, 1996). The biological effects of fish oil are attributed to their n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and DHA can be incorporated into cell membranes where they influence membrane fluidity, receptor function, enzyme activity and production of lipid mediators. ~~ ~ ~~ Abbreviations: AA, arachidonic acid; ALA, a-linolenic acid; Con A, concanavalin A, DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid IL, interleukin; LT, leukotriene; PBMC, peripheral-blood mononuclear cells; PG, prostaglandin; PHA, phytohaemagglutinin; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.
N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Body Fat and Inflammation
Obesity Facts, 2013
Background: Based on animal studies, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been suggested to lower the risk of obesity and inflammation. We aimed to investigate if, among humans, intake of n-3 PUFAs was associated with i) total body fat, ii) body fat distribution and iii) obesity-related inflammatory markers. Methods: The study population consisted of 1,212 healthy individuals with information on habitual food intake from food frequency questionnaires, six different measures of body fat, and levels of six circulating inflammatory markers. Multiple linear regression analysis of intakes of PUFAs in relation to outcomes were performed and adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Absolute n-3 PUFA intake, but not n-3/n-6, was inversely associated with the different measures of body fat. Among n-3 PUFA derivatives, only α-linolenic acid (ALA) was inversely associated with body fat measures. No significant interactions with the dietary macronutrient composition were observed. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were not associated with absolute PUFA intake, but the macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) was associated with the n-3/n-6 ratio. Conclusion: In humans, intake of n-3 PUFAs, in particular ALA, is beneficially associated with body fatness. The favourable association is, however, not reflected in systemic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, nor is it influenced by macronutrients in the diet.
Nutrients, 2021
Fish oil supplementation is commonplace in human nutrition and is being used in both enteral and parenteral formulations during the treatment of patients with a large variety of diseases and immune status. The biological effects of fish oil are believed to result from their content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). These fatty acids are known to have numerous effects upon immune functions and are described as immunomodulatory. However, immunomodulatory is a nondescript term that encompasses immunostimulation and immunosuppression. The primary goal of this review is to better describe the immune effects of n-3 PUFA as they relate to immunostimulatory vs. immunosuppressive effects. One mechanism proposed for the immune effects of n-3 PUFA relates to the production of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). A second goal of this review is to evaluate the effects of n-3 PUFA supplementation upon produc...
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Lately, dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have shown substantial importance in human and animal nutrition, especially those of the n-3 group. Development and optimal functioning of the immune system are directed affected by diet. These dietary fatty acids have an important impact on the health and immune competence of various species including human beings. They are essential for the modulation of immune responses in health and disease. Fatty acid composition of immune cells can be modulated by the action of dietary fats and the outcomes in the composition can produce functional effects on reactivity and functioning of immune cells in a short period. There are several mechanisms involved in impacting dietary fatty acids on immune function; however, lipid mediator synthesis from PUFAs is of great importance in terms of inflammation. The objectives of this article are reviewing studies on the impact of PUFA in the diet on phagocytosis of chickens, murine, rats, ruminants, and humans. It also sheds light on the possible mechanism by which this immunomodulation occurs.
The role of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in inflammation
Serbian Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 2013
Low-grade systemic infl ammation is at the base of the most chronic non-communicable diseases, which are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. Key players in the regulation of infl ammation are n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), in particular arachidonic acid (n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (n-3). Th ey are precursors of eicosanoids-signaling molecules involved in modulating the intensity and duration of infl ammatory responses. Eicosanoids derived from n-6 PUFAs have proinfl ammatory actions, while those derived from n-3 PUFAs act anti-infl ammatory. Th erefore, dietary intake of n-6 and n-3 PUFAs, as well as their ratio, could markedly aff ect the pathogenesis and manifestation of many chronic diseases associated with low-grade infl ammation. Th is review will focus on the relationship between dietary PUFAs and infl ammation, with reference to PUFAs status in plasma phospholipids in Serbian population.
Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate T-lymphocyte activation
Studies in humans and murine disease models have clearly shown dietary fish oil to possess antiinflammatory properties, apparently mediated by the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). To determine the mechanisms by which dietary EPA and DHA modulate mouse T-cell activation, female C57BL/6 mice were fed diets containing either 2% safflower oil (SAF), 2% fish oil (FO), or a 2% purified EPA/DHA ethyl ester mixture for 14 days. Splenic CD4 T cells (,90% purity) or CD8 T cells (,85% purity) were incubated with agonists which act at the plasma membrane receptor level [anti(a)-CD3/anti(a)-CD28], the intracellular level (PMA/ Ionomycin), or at both the receptor and intracellular levels (aCD3/PMA). CD4 T cells stimulated with aCD3/aCD28 or PMA/Ionomycin proliferated and produced principally IL-2 (i.e. a Th1 phenotype), whereas the proliferation of CD4 T cells stimulated with aCD3/PMA was apparently driven principally by IL-4 (i.e. a Th2 phenotype). The IL-4 driven proliferation of putative Th2 CD4 cells was enhanced by dietary n-3 fatty acids (P 0´02). Conversely, IL-2 production by aCD3/a CD28-stimulated CD4 T cells was reduced in FO-fed animals (P , 0´0001). The aCD3/aCD28-stimulated CD8 cells cultured from FO-fed animals exhibited a significant decrease (P , 0´05) in proliferation. There were no dietary effects seen in aCD3/PMA-stimulated CD8 cells, which produced both IL-2 and IL-4, or in PMA/ Ionomycin-stimulated CD8 cells, which produced principally IL-2. These data suggest that dietary n-3 fatty acids down-regulated IL-2 driven CD4 and CD8 activation, while up-regulating the activation of the Th2 CD4 T-cell subset. Thus, the anti-inflammatory effects of n-3 fatty acids may result in both the direct suppression of IL-2-induced Th1 cell activation and the indirect suppression of Th1 cells by the enhanced cross-regulatory function of Th2 cells.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids in health and disease
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are necessary for overall health. Two PUFAs families, n-6 and n-3 fatty acids, are physiologically and metabolically distinct. The proportion of PUFAs in serum and erythrocyte phospholipids, which depends on endogenous metabolism controlled by genetic polymorphisms and dietary intake, is an important determinant of both health and disease. Both n-3 and n-6 PUFAs are processed to powerful promoters of eicosanoids synthesis at the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase level. Evidence from observational and intervention studies suggest that n-3 PUFAs are cardioprotective, perhaps through their anti-inflammatory, anti-arrhythmic, lipid-lowering and antihypertensive effects. In contrast, dietary n-6 PUFAs have proinflammatory effects. Low n-3 and elevated n-6 PUFAs levels were found in patients with cancer on different sites. The present review focuses on current knowledge related to PUFAs intake and status in health and disease, with reference to the Serbian population.