title: Fish oil supplementation results in decreased hypertriglyceridemia in patients with psoriasis undergoing etretinate or acitretin therapy.
abstract: Although retinoid derivatives are an effective treatment for severe psoriasis, they result in systemic toxicity, including hyperlipidemia. In an attempt to reverse this retinoid-related hyperlipidemia in patients with psoriasis, a prospective 4-week pilot study of fish oil supplementation was carried out in 25 patients with psoriasis vulgaris receiving etretinate (Ro-10-9359) or acitretin (Ro 10-1670). Daily fish oil supplements containing 3 gm of omega-3 fatty acids (1.8 gm of eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5 omega 3, and 1.2 gm of docosahexaenoic acid 22:6 omega 3) were found to be effective in reducing hypertriglyceridemia, with a significant mean reduction from 215.6 +/- 92.5 to 156.9 +/- 58.5 mg/dl (-27%) when compared with controls (203.6 +/- 46.9 to 204.1 +/- 54.3 mg/dl). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased from 41.4 +/- 10.5 to 46.1 +/- 10.8 mg/dl (+11%), and the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased from 6.6 +/- 1.9 to 5.9 +/- 1.7 (-11%). It is concluded that fish oil supplementation may prove a valuable adjunct to ameliorate the lipid changes secondary to retinoids.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Division, University of California-Los Angeles, School of Public Health.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ashley
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Borok
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Alfin-Slater
mesh_terms: D017255:Acitretin; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005050:Etretinate / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006951:Hyperlipoproteinemias / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000178:diet therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D005395:Fish Oils; D014280:Triglycerides; D014212:Tretinoin; D005050:Etretinate; D002784:Cholesterol; D017255:Acitretin