Xi S ; Cohen D ; Chen LH ;

J Lipid Res vol. 39 (8)   pp. 1677-87, Aou 1998

Nutritional Sciences Program, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506- 0054, USA.

The effects of fish oil, which is rich in n-3 fatty acids, on cytokine levels in a murine model of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) were studied. Thirty-two C57BL/6 female mice were divided into two dietary groups and fed either a corn oil diet or a fish oil diet. After 4 weeks, each diet group was further divided into two subgroups, and mice in one subgroup were injected i.p. with LP-BM5 murine retrovirus (MAIDS) stock. After 4 weeks, all mice were killed, blood samples were collected, and the spleens and the livers were excised. Splenocytes were isolated immediately and cultured in RPMI-1640 medium and stimulated by either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Concanavalin A (ConA) for 24 h. The supernatant was collected for cytokine assays. The results showed that MAIDS infection increased the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1-beta (IL-1beta), while fish oil partially prevented this elevation. MAIDS infection depressed interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), while fish oil partially prevented the depression of IL-2. In addition, MAIDS infection depressed LPS- and ConA-stimulated cell proliferation, while fish oil partially prevented the depression. The results suggest that fish oil may slow down the progression of murine AIDS by modulating levels of cytokines including TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-2.

Animal ;  Concanavalin A: pharmacology ;  Cytokines: metabolism ;  Fatty Acids: metabolism ;  Female ;  Fish Oils: administration & dosage ;  IgG: blood ;  IgM: blood ;  In vitro ;  Interferon Type II: metabolism ;  Interleukin-1: metabolism ;  Interleukin-2: metabolism ;  Leukotriene B4: metabolism ;  Lipopolysaccharides: pharmacology ;  Liver: immunology ;  Lymphocyte Transformation ;  Mice ;  Mice,Inbred C57BL ;  Murine Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: diet therapy: immunology ;  Spleen: immunology ;  Support,Non-U.S.Gov't ;  Tumor Necrosis Factor: metabolism ;  21070 ;