title: Omega 3 fatty acids supplementation has an ameliorative effect in experimental ulcerative colitis despite increased colonic neutrophil infiltration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and can be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as ulcerative colitis. Dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) colitis in rats appears to mimic nearly all of the morphological characteristics and lesion distributions of ulcerative colitis. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of omega 3 fatty acids in the treatment of experimental ulcerative colitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  thirty-six Wistar rats were randomly assigned to group A or group B receiving 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in their drinking water for eight days. For the next eight days post-DSS, group A animals received tap-water, and group B animals were fed a nutritional solution containing high levels of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ProSure®, Abbott Laboratories, Zwolle, Netherlands) once per day, administrated with a orogastric feeding tube.
  
  
  RESULTS
  animals fed an omega 3 rich diet exhibited a statistically significant increase in hematocrit and hemoglobin levels, compared to animals drinking tap water, and a trend towards histopathological and clinical improvement, with the administration of omega 3 fatty acids ameliorating epithelial erosion by day 8 post-DSS, but no statistically significant difference was observed between group A and group B animals at 4 or 8 days post-DSS. Also, a statistically significant increase in neutrophil infiltration was observed, as depicted by myelohyperoxidase activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  our findings support a positive role of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation in an experimental model of ulcerative colitis despite the increased colonic neutrophil infiltration. Further studies are needed in order to investigate the role of increased neutrophils in colonic mucosa.
authors: Fourth Surgical Department, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. ioanvar@hotmail.com
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Varnalidis
authors: Orestis
authors: O
authors: Ioannidis
authors: Elisavet
authors: E
authors: Karamanavi
authors: Zafeiris
authors: Z
authors: Ampas
authors: Theofilos
authors: T
authors: Poutahidis
authors: Ioannis
authors: I
authors: Taitzoglou
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Paraskevas
authors: Dimitrios
authors: D
authors: Botsios
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration / Q000187:drug effects*; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016707:Tissue Fixation
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D009195:Peroxidase