title: Effects of eicosapentaenoic acids on oxidative stress and plasma fatty acid composition in patients with lupus nephritis.
abstract: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is one of the major components of fish oil, which was reported to have antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive effects. In the present study, highly purified EPA was administered to patients with lupus nephritis and the effects of EPA on urinary 8-isoprostane, a reliable marker of oxidative stress, were investigated in these patients. Six outpatients (1 man and 5 women), with lupus nephritis diagnosed by renal biopsy, were entered in the study. We administered 1800 mg EPA ethyl-ester (purity > 95%) daily and examined the urinary 8-isoprostane levels and plasma fatty acid composition before and 3 months after EPA treatment. The urinary 8-isoprostane levels were significantly decreased after the treatment compared with those before the treatment (from 530 +/- 113 pg/mg x Cr to 235 +/- 49 pg/mg x Cr, p = 0.02). The EPA levels in the plasma phospholipid (PL) fraction were significantly increased after the treatment (from 3.30 +/- 0.64 mol% to 8.01 +/- 0.47 mol%, p < 0.001). Arachidonic acid (AA) levels in the plasma PL fraction were significantly decreased after the treatment (from 9.47 +/- 0.28 mol% to 7.33 +/- 0.43 mol%, p < 0.001). The ratios of EPA to AA were significantly increased after the treatment (from 0.35 +/- 0.07 to 1.14 +/- 0.16, p < 0.001). Thus, this preliminary study indicated that EPA might exert beneficial effects on lupus nephritis by decreasing the oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Aomori, Japan. nnakamur-tym@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Ryuichiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumasaka
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamabe
authors.forename: Ken-Ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirato
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Rei-Ichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumura
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamazaki
authors.forename: Tomohito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamazaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001706:Biopsy; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000652:urine; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005227:Fatty Acids; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; C075750:8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha; C035276:eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D015237:Dinoprost