Thread: Omega-3 PUFA Promote T Helper Cell Response

Omega-3 PUFA Promote T Helper Cell Response

UTRECHT, The Netherlands—According to a recent Dutch study published in The Journal of Nutrition, using two different models of immune responses demonstrates potential benefits from marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (2011;141(4)698-702). PUFAs are precursor molecules for eicosanoids such as leukotrienes and prostaglandins and may influence immune function through other mechanisms involving membranes, cell signaling and gene expression. Immune-modulating properties of diets containing different oils (sunflower oil, rich in linoleic acid; linseed oil, rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA); salmon oil, rich in marine omega-3 PUFAs; and beef tallow, rich in saturated fatty acids (SFA)) were investigated in an influenza-vaccination model, in which the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response was studied in C57BL/6 mice, and an ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitization model for experimental allergy in BALB/c mice. Six-week-old mice were fed the different diets for seven weeks. The first vaccination or OVA sensitization was given two weeks after the start of the dietary intervention.

In the mice vaccinated with influenza, the DTH response to the vaccine was significantly higher in mice fed the marine omega-3 PUFAs diet compared to all other groups, indicating these PUFAs promote a T helper-1 response. In the OVA-sensitized mice, those fed the marine omega-3 PUFAs diet had a less severe acute allergic skin response (ASR), suggesting omega-3 PUFAs lessen the T helper-2 response. Mice fed the SFA-rich diet had the most severe ASR, indicating a diet with high levels of SFA may contribute to increased severity of allergic symptoms. Whereas significant differences in in vivo immune responses were measured, in vitro responses did not differ among the dietary groups.