Eicosapentanoic acid prolongs survival and attenuates inflammatory response in an experimental model of lethal trauma.
In an attempt to define the efficacy of intravenously administered n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in an animal model of lethal trauma following femur fracture, an intravenous solution of eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) - one n-3 PUFA - was administered in 25 rabbits; 13 were controls and 12 were treated with EPA 30 min after fracture. Vital signs were recorded and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and respiratory burst of neutrophils were assessed. Survival of controls was 7.7% and of animals treated with EPA 50% (log-rank: 5.162; p: 0.023). Vital signs of both groups did not differ. Oxidative burst of neutrophils was greater among EPA-treated animals compared with controls at 48 h (p: 0.010). Serum levels of TNFalpha of the former group were decreased compared with the latter at 48 h (p: 0.019). Bacterial growth of enterobacteriaceae from liver and spleen after death or euthanasia was lower among EPA-treated rabbits than controls. These results suggest that EPA possesses considerable immunomodulatory activities improving survival in a model of lethal trauma. Restoration of oxidative burst conferring efficient phagocytosis of evading bacteria seems the most probable mechanism of action.
2nd Department of Orthopaedics, University of Athens Medical School, Greece.
Stefanos
S
Koutsostathis
Thomas
T
Tsaganos
Evangelos J
EJ
Giamarellos-Bourboulis
Antigone
A
Kotsaki
Apostolos
A
Papalois
Nicolas
N
Efstathopoulos
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000254:growth & development; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D011817:Rabbits; D016897:Respiratory Burst / Q000187:drug effects; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid