title: The effect of fish oil supplementation on cytokine production in children.
abstract: The ex vivo production of inflammatory cytokines during fish oil supplementation (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, n-3 PUFA) is a matter of considerable controversy. Studies on human subjects have generally reported decreased lymphocyte proliferation and decreased production of IL-2, interferon-gamma, IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, but other studies showed no effect or even increased production. There are no published reports on ex vivo cytokine production in children on long-term, n-3 PUFA supplementation. The current double-blind study explored cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in children on 12 weeks' supplementation with 300 mg/day of n-3 PUFA. Twenty-one children (aged 8-12 years) were randomized to receive 1 g canola oil (control) or 300 mg n-3 PUFA + 700 mg canola oil in a chocolate spread. Blood was then drawn and PBMCs were separated and cultured for 24 h in a culture medium with or without 10 microg/mL LPS for 5 x 10(6) PBMCs. The pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6, and the anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and IL-1RA, were evaluated by ELISA. The levels of all the cytokines were higher in non-stimulated and LPS-stimulated cultures, from n-3 PUFA-treated subjects as compared to controls. There was no difference in the IL-1beta/IL-1RA ratio between the two groups, with and without LPS stimulation. Nevertheless, the ratio tended to be lower in the treated subjects on both occasions. In conclusion, our results indicate an increased production of both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, with and without LPS stimulation, in children on 12 weeks' n-3 PUFA supplementation.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Clinical Nutrition, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 6 Weizmann Street, Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel. vaisman@tasmc.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Nachum
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vaisman
authors.forename: Yahalomit
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zaruk
authors.forename: Idit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Shirazi
authors.forename: Nechemia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaysar
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barak
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3