Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Among the fatty acids, it is the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) which possess the most potent immunomodulatory activities, and among the omega-3 PUFA, those from fish oil-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)--are more biologically potent than alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Some of the effects of omega-3 PUFA are brought about by modulation of the amount and types of eicosanoids made, and other effects are elicited by eicosanoid-independent mechanisms, including actions upon intracellular signaling pathways, transcription factor activity and gene expression. Animal experiments and clinical intervention studies indicate that omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and, therefore, might be useful in the management of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Coronary heart disease, major depression, aging and cancer are characterized by an increased level of interleukin 1 (IL-1), a proinflammatory cytokine. Similarly, arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and lupus erythematosis are autoimmune diseases characterized by a high level of IL-1 and the proinflammatory leukotriene LTB(4) produced by omega-6 fatty acids. There have been a number of clinical trials assessing the benefits of dietary supplementation with fish oils in several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in humans, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis and migraine headaches. Many of the placebo-controlled trials of fish oil in chronic inflammatory diseases reveal significant benefit, including decreased disease activity and a lowered use of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Physiological and biochemical response to Omega-3 plus as a dietary supplement to growing goats under hot summer conditions

“…It was previously reported that using supplemental fat might improve the energy balance and increase birth weight in shame goats (Titi and Awad, 2007;Eghoghosoa et al, 2011). Fatty acid supplements may also improve the ability to use nutrients from the food and convert them into muscle protein (Simopoulos, 2002). A study conducted by Okukpe et al (2011) confirmed the present finding, in which they observed an improvement of weight gain in goats fed omega-3 fatty acid as a supplement, but this correlation did not achieve significance.…”

Fish consumption, not fatty acid status, is related to quality of life in a healthy population

“…In the present study, five fatty acids were considered of interest, i.e. arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6), EPA, and DHA, which are implicated in physical and mental health [19][20][21], the DHA status parameter adrenic acid (AdrA, 22:4n-6), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22:5n-3), which is a major intermediate in EPA-to-DHA conversion.…”

Antioxidants and polyunsaturated fatty acids in multiple sclerosis

“…N-3 PUFAs may suppress proinflammatory TNF-a and IL-1 production and actions, while n-6 PUFAs have the opposite effect. Indeed, patients with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma, responded well to supplementation with long-chain n-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA by decreasing disease-associated elevated levels of cytokines (Simopoulos, 2002). In addition, fish oil supplementation of newly diagnosed MS patients increased the plasma phospholipid n-3 fatty acids and decreased the n-6 fatty acids, resulting in significant reduction of exacerbations and the EDSS clinical score (Nordvik et al, 2000).…”