Feeding a Bioactive Oil Enriched in Stearidonic Acid during Early Life Influences Immune System Maturation in Neonatal Sprague-Dawley Rats

Abstract

Background Long-chain n–3 PUFAs (LCPUFAs) improve immune development and reduce atopic disease risk in infants. Stearidonic acid (SDA) can be a substrate for biosynthesis of n–3 LCPUFAs. Objective We aimed to determine the effect of feeding an SDA-enriched diet during suckling and weaning on offspring immunity and ability to develop oral tolerance (OT). Methods Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to consume either SDA (3 g SDA/100 g fat) or a control (no SDA) diet, 5 d before parturition and through lactation (21 d). For the OT treatment, 10-d-old pups were fed ovalbumin (Ova; 200 μL of 8 mg/mL) or placebo daily for 5 d. At 21 d, pups (both sexes) were weaned to their respective maternal diet until 6 wk of age or killed. Systemic immunization was induced using Ova (in 3-wk-old pups) or Ova + adjuvant (in 6-wk-old pups). The effect of suckling diet (in 3-wk-old pups) or weaning diet (in 6-wk-old pups) and OT treatment on immune function (main outcome) in spleen and blood was compared using 2-factor ANOVA. Results An SDA-enriched maternal diet, compared with the control diet, resulted in higher plasma phospholipid (PL) EPA (15 times higher), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 3 times higher), and DHA (1.3 times higher) content in 3-wk-old pups, accompanied by higher B-cell function [plasma ovalbumin-specific IgG1 (Ova-IgG1), 2 times higher] ( P < 0.05). Compared with pups fed a control diet, the splenocytes from these pups had more (23%) helper T (Th) cells (CD3+CD4+) and activated (12%) Th cells (CD4+CD28+) (P < 0.02) than controls. At 6 wk, the SDA group had 30% more CD4+CD25+ splenocytes, and when stimulated ex vivo with LPS, produced less inflammatory IL-6 (50%) and TNF-α (30%) and more immunoregulatory IL-10 (45%) cytokines (P < 0.05) than the control group. The Ova-exposed group had less (30%) plasma Ova-IgG1 than the placebo group. Splenocytes and plasma PLs from the 6-wk-old SDA group had more EPA (2x) and DPA (3.5x) (P < 0.05), but not DHA, than the control group. Conclusions Feeding SDA during lactation and weaning altered immune responses in directions believed to be beneficial.

The Effect of Very-Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Central Nervous System and Their Potential Benefits for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder: Reviewing Pre-Clinical and Clinical Data

“…Similarly, EPA-enriched phospholipids have been found to reduce LPS-induced increases in the level of IL-1β in the hippocampus, thalamus, and cortex [67]. A recent study has shown that pups exposed to a maternal diet enriched with stearidonic acid (SDA) that increased total VLC n-3 PUFAs (EPA, DPA, and DHA) exhibited less inflammatory IL-6 and TNF-α in response to LPS than the control group [68].…”

Comparative metabolomics revealed the effect of high altitude on the metabolic pattern of Polygonum viviparum L

“…Remarkably, avonoids and anthocyanins have signi cant anti-lipid peroxidation and anti-oxygen free Procyanidin B2 involved in numerous hypoxia-related disease, and triggered expressions of genes involved in immunity and related diseases. Stearidonic acid could promote immunity through activating p38 MAP kinase activity and CD4 + T cell, while Arachidonic acid could control macrophage alternative activation through regulating oxidative phosphorylation in PPARγ to improve immunity(Xu et al, 2021;Patel et al, 2020;Nandakumar et al, 2008). Thus, the accumulation of avonoid and anthocyanins could promote the medicinal value of Polygonum viviparum L. in improving diseases associated with high altitude, such as hypoxia and UV exposure.In our present study, we revealed the adaptive mechanism of Polygonum viviparum L. to increase of altitude through altering metabolic compositions, especially fatty acids and avonoids, for guaranteeing normal growth and promoting medicinal value of Polygonum viviparum L..…”