title: Immunotoxicity of polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum-free medium.
abstract: To test the effect of purified polyunsaturated fatty acids on immune cells in vitro, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and murine spleen cells were incubated in Opti-MEM medium without serum or even albumin and with 2-mercapto-ethanol, insulin, transferrin and selenium as supplements. The human cells were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin and the murine cells were stimulated with Concanavalin A or lipopolysaccharide. Both human and murine cells were stimulated with recombinant human interleukin-2 to generate lymphokine activated killer cells. Linoleic and linolenic acids inhibited all of the immune responses tested, whereas docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids did not. Similar effects were observed with cultured B16 F10 murine melanoma cells. Mixtures of linoleic and docosahexaenoic or eicosapentaenoic acids also inhibited the mitogenic response to phytohemagglutinin. Inhibition of lipid mediator production by indomethacin, quercetin, rutin, or nordihydroguariaretic acid, and addition of vitamins C and E with anti-oxidant activity failed to reverse the effects of linoleic acid. Thus, linoleic and linolenic acids appear to directly inhibit immune and tumor cells, at least under these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas 75235, USA.
authors.forename: B U
authors.initials: BU
authors.lastname: Tezabwala
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Grundy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000633:toxicity; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects*; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015979:Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D007376:Interleukin-2; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D014810:Vitamin E; D011794:Quercetin; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D007213:Indomethacin