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Marine omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: effects, mechanisms and clinical relevance

Marine omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: effects, mechanisms and clinical relevance
Marine omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: effects, mechanisms and clinical relevance
Inflammation is a condition which contributes to a range of human diseases. It involves a multitude of cell types, chemical mediators, and interactions. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are omega-3 (n ? 3) fatty acids found in oily fish and fish oil supplements. These fatty acids are able to partly inhibit a number of aspects of inflammation including leukocyte chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression and leukocyte–endothelial adhesive interactions, production of eicosanoids like prostaglandins and leukotrienes from the n ? 6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, production of inflammatory cytokines, and T-helper 1 lymphocyte reactivity. In addition, EPA gives rise to eicosanoids that often have lower biological potency than those produced from arachidonic acid and EPA and DHA give rise to anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving mediators called resolvins, protectins and maresins. Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of marine n ? 3 fatty acids include altered cell membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition, disruption of lipid rafts, inhibition of activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B so reducing expression of inflammatory genes, activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ? and binding to the G protein coupled receptor GPR120. These mechanisms are interlinked, although the full extent of this is not yet elucidated. Animal experiments demonstrate benefit from marine n ? 3 fatty acids in models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma. Clinical trials of fish oil in RA demonstrate benefit, but clinical trials of fish oil in IBD and asthma are inconsistent with no overall clear evidence of efficacy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Oxygenated metabolism of PUFA: analysis and biological relevance”.
inflammation, eicosanoid, cytokine, resolving, macrophage, lymphocyte
1388-1981
469-484
Calder, Philip C.
1797e54f-378e-4dcb-80a4-3e30018f07a6
Calder, Philip C.
1797e54f-378e-4dcb-80a4-3e30018f07a6

Calder, Philip C. (2015) Marine omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory processes: effects, mechanisms and clinical relevance. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, 1851 (4), 469-484. (doi:10.1016/j.bbalip.2014.08.010). (PMID:25149823)

Record type: Review

Abstract

Inflammation is a condition which contributes to a range of human diseases. It involves a multitude of cell types, chemical mediators, and interactions. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are omega-3 (n ? 3) fatty acids found in oily fish and fish oil supplements. These fatty acids are able to partly inhibit a number of aspects of inflammation including leukocyte chemotaxis, adhesion molecule expression and leukocyte–endothelial adhesive interactions, production of eicosanoids like prostaglandins and leukotrienes from the n ? 6 fatty acid arachidonic acid, production of inflammatory cytokines, and T-helper 1 lymphocyte reactivity. In addition, EPA gives rise to eicosanoids that often have lower biological potency than those produced from arachidonic acid and EPA and DHA give rise to anti-inflammatory and inflammation resolving mediators called resolvins, protectins and maresins. Mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory actions of marine n ? 3 fatty acids include altered cell membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition, disruption of lipid rafts, inhibition of activation of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B so reducing expression of inflammatory genes, activation of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor peroxisome proliferator activated receptor ? and binding to the G protein coupled receptor GPR120. These mechanisms are interlinked, although the full extent of this is not yet elucidated. Animal experiments demonstrate benefit from marine n ? 3 fatty acids in models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and asthma. Clinical trials of fish oil in RA demonstrate benefit, but clinical trials of fish oil in IBD and asthma are inconsistent with no overall clear evidence of efficacy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Oxygenated metabolism of PUFA: analysis and biological relevance”.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 13 August 2014
e-pub ahead of print date: 20 August 2014
Published date: April 2015
Keywords: inflammation, eicosanoid, cytokine, resolving, macrophage, lymphocyte
Organisations: Human Development & Health

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 374667
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/374667
ISSN: 1388-1981
PURE UUID: 99162b15-e81f-4bc0-a632-2f052d97233f
ORCID for Philip C. Calder: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6038-710X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 26 Feb 2015 12:04
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:50

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