Fish Oil Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Fish Oil, including details on omega-3, dosage, health benefits, diet.

Anti-inflammatory effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids in THP-1 cells.

Zhao G, Etherton TD, Martin KR, Vanden Heuvel JP, Gillies PJ, West SG, Kris-Etherton PM

Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.

The effects of linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were compared to that of palmitic acid (PA), on inflammatory responses in human monocytic THP-1 cells. When cells were pre-incubated with fatty acids for 2-h and then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide for 24-h in the presence of fatty acids, secretion of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1beta, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) was significantly decreased after treatment with LA, ALA, and DHA versus PA (P < 0.01 for all); ALA and DHA elicited more favorable effects. These effects were comparable to those for 15-deoxy-delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and were dose-dependent. In addition, LA, ALA, and DHA decreased IL-6, IL-1beta, and TNFalpha gene expression (P < 0.05 for all) and nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB DNA-binding activity, whereas peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) DNA-binding activity was increased. The results indicate that the anti-inflammatory effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids may be, in part, due to the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation via activation of PPARgamma.

Published 11 October 2005 in Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 336(3): 909-17.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Fish Oil Research Today. All Rights Reserved.