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Omega‐3 fatty acids alleviate chemically induced acute hepatitis by suppression of cytokines
Author(s) -
Schmöcker Christoph,
Weylandt Karsten H.,
Kahlke Lena,
Wang Jingdong,
Lobeck Hartmut,
Tiegs Gisa,
Berg Thomas,
Kang Jing X.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.21626
Subject(s) - polyunsaturated fatty acid , inflammation , proinflammatory cytokine , endocrinology , tumor necrosis factor alpha , medicine , fatty liver , biology , immunology , chemistry , fatty acid , biochemistry , disease
Abstract Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) are key factors in liver inflammation. Supplementation with essential omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ( n ‐3 PUFA) has been demonstrated to lower TNF‐α and IL‐1 production in mononuclear cells. An inflammation‐dampening effect has been observed with increased omega‐3 fatty acid supplementation in several inflammatory diseases. In this study, we used the transgenic fat‐1 mouse, expressing a Caenorhabditis elegans desaturase endogenously forming n ‐3 PUFA from n ‐6 PUFA, to analyze the effect of an increased n ‐3 PUFA tissue status in the macrophage‐dependent acute D ‐galactosamine/lipopolysaccaride ( D ‐GalN/LPS) hepatitis model. We show less severe inflammatory liver injury in fat‐1 mice with a balanced n‐6/n‐3 PUFA ratio as evidenced by reduced serum alanine aminotransferase levels and less severe histological liver damage. This decreased inflammatory response was associated with decreased plasma TNF‐α levels and with reduced hepatic gene expression of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IFN‐γ and IL‐6 in fat‐1 mice, leading to a decreased rate of apoptosis in livers from fat‐1 animals, as measured by DAPI‐staining. Conclusion: The results of this study offer evidence for an inflammation dampening effect of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the context of liver inflammation. (H EPATOLOGY 2007;45:864–869.)