Exploring the Effects of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids on Allergy Using a HEK-Blue Cell Line

Abstract

Background: Allergic reactions can result in life-threatening situations resulting in high economic costs and morbidity. Therefore, more effective reagents are needed for allergy treatment. A causal relationship has been suggested to exist between the intake of omega-3/6 fatty acids, such as docosahexanoic acid (DHA), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), docosapentanoic acid (DPA) and arachidonic acid (AA), and atopic individuals suffering from allergies. In allergic cascades, the hallmark cytokine IL-4 bind to IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) and IL-13 binds to IL-13 receptor (IL-13R), this activates the STAT6 phosphorylation pathway leading to gene activation of allergen-specific IgE antibody production by B cells. The overall aim of this study was to characterize omega-3/6 fatty acids and their effects on STAT6 signaling pathway that results in IgE production in allergic individuals. Methods: The fatty acids were tested in vitro with a HEK-Blue IL-4/IL-13 reporter cell line model, transfected with a reporter gene that produces an enzyme, secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (SEAP). SEAP acts as a substitute to IgE when cells are stimulated with bioactive cytokines IL-4 and/or IL-13. Results: We have successfully used DHA, EPA and DPA in our studies that demonstrated a decrease in SEAP secretion, as opposed to an increase in SEAP secretion with AA treatment. A statistical Student’s t-test revealed the significance of the results, confirming our initial hypothesis. Conclusion: We have successfully identified and characterised DHA, EPA, DPA and AA in our allergy model. While AA was a potent stimulator, DHA, EPA and DPA were potential inhibitors of IL-4R/IL-13R signalling, which regulates the STAT6 induced pathway in allergic cascades. Such findings are significant in the future design of dietary therapeutics for the treatment of allergies.

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“…In order to increase these applications and also to improve some properties, it is common in polymer industry to under go by synthesis modification [4]. In a recent studies fatty acids demonstrated biological activity [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and some physical properties [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] and its polymers [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41].…”