title: The influence of dietary fish-oil supplementation on cutaneous Leishmania amazonensis infection in mice.
abstract: Dietary fish-oil (FO) supplementation has been shown to inhibit inflammation in various clinical disease states and to be beneficial in experimental models of inflammation and bacterial and plasmodial infection. In mice, FO increases macrophage production of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF). Production of TNF has been reported to be important in the resistance of mice against various Leishmania spp. We investigated whether dietary supplementation with FO protects susceptible Balb/c mice against infection with Leishmania amazonensis. No influence of the FO diet on the course of infection was observed, as evaluated by the increase in thickness of infected footpads over forty days. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNF production of peritoneal cells was however significantly increased in FO fed mice (P<0.01). When L. amazonensis was used as a stimulus, the in-vitro production of TNF by isolated peritoneal cells was minimal and did not differ between the various treatment groups. Addition of interferon gamma did not restore the effect of FO on TNF production capacity. We conclude that dietary supplementation with FO is of no benefit in Leishmaniasis in susceptible Balb/c mice, and that L. amazonensis is an insufficient trigger for TNF production in this model.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital Nijmegen, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
authors.forename: Willem L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Blok
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabinovitch
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zilberfarb
authors.forename: Mihai G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Netea
authors.forename: Wim A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Buurman
authors.forename: Jos W M
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: van der Meer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013997:Time Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005395:Fish Oils; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma