title: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of n-3 fatty acid based lipid infusion in acute, extended guttate psoriasis. Rapid improvement of clinical manifestations and changes in neutrophil leukotriene profile.
abstract: Twenty patients hospitalized for acute psoriasis guttata with a minimum 10% of body surface area involvement (range 10-90%) completed a 10-day trial in which they were randomly allocated to receive daily infusions with either an n-3 fatty acid based lipid emulsion [100 ml/day with 2.1 g eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and 21 g docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] or a conventional n-6 lipid emulsion (EPA + DHA < 0.1 g/100 ml). The severity of disease was evaluated by scoring daily erythema, infiltration, and desquamation and by a subjective scoring of clinical manifestations offered by the patients. Leukotriene (LT) and platelet-activating factor (PAF) generation were investigated in ionophore-stimulated neutrophils obtained on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, and 40. Moderate improvement in clinical manifestations was noted in the n-6 group (changes in score systems between 16-25% from baseline within 10 days). In contrast, the severity of disease markedly decreased in all patients of the n-3 group, with improvements in all score systems ranging between 45% and 76% within 10 days (P < 0.05 for each variable). The difference in response to the two regimens was evident within 4-7 days after onset of lipid infusion. A more than ten fold increase in neutrophil EPA-derived 5-lipoxygenase product formation (LTB5, its omega-oxidation products, non-enzymatic degradation products of LTA5 and 5-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid) was noted in the n-3 group but not in the n-6 group. Neutrophil PAF generation increased in the n-6 group but decreased in the n-3 group. In conclusion, modulation of eicosanoid metabolism by intravenous n-3 fatty acid supplementation appears to exert a rapid beneficial effect on inflammatory skin lesions in acute guttate psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum für Innere Medizin, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grimminger
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mayser
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papavassilis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schlotzer
authors.forename: K U
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Heuer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Führer
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Hinsch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Walmrath
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Schill
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015289:Leukotrienes / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D015289:Leukotrienes; D008055:Lipids