European Cytokine Network
MENUThe effect of fish oil supplementation on cytokine production in children Volume 16, numéro 3, September 2005
Illustrations
- Mots-clés : PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids, IL, interleukin, TNF, tumor necrosis factor, LPS, lipopolysaccharide, PBMCs, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid, DHA, docosapentaenoic acid, ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, n-3, omega-3
- Page(s) : 194-8
- Année de parution : 2005
The ex vivo production of inflammatory cytokines during fish oil supplementation (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, n-3 PUFA) is a matter of considerable controversy. Studies on human subjects have generally reported decreased lymphocyte proliferation and decreased production of IL-2, interferon-γ, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, but other studies showed no effect or even increased production. There are no published reports on ex vivo cytokine production in children on long-term, n-3 PUFA supplementation. The current double-blind study explored cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in children on 12 weeks’ supplementation with 300 mg/day of n-3 PUFA. Twenty-one children (aged 8-12 years) were randomized to receive 1 g canola oil (control) or 300 mg n-3 PUFA + 700 mg canola oil in a chocolate spread. Blood was then drawn and PBMCs were separated and cultured for 24 h in a culture medium with or without 10 μg/mL LPS for 5 x 10 6 PBMCs. The pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6, and the anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and IL-1RA, were evaluated by ELISA. The levels of all the cytokines were higher in non-stimulated and LPS-stimulated cultures, from n-3 PUFA-treated subjects as compared to controls. There was no difference in the IL-1β/IL-1RA ratio between the two groups, with and without LPS stimulation. Nevertheless, the ratio tended to be lower in the treated subjects on both occasions. In conclusion, our results indicate an increased production of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, with and without LPS stimulation, in children on 12 weeks’ n-3 PUFA supplementation.