title: Dietary long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent allergic sensitization to cow's milk protein in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cow's milk allergy is one of the most common food allergies in children and no treatment is available. Dietary lipid composition may affect the susceptibility to develop allergic disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess whether dietary supplementation with long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) prevents the establishment of food allergy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were fed a control or fish oil diet before and during oral sensitization with whey. Acute allergic skin response, serum immunoglobulins as well as dendritic cell (DC) and T cell subsets in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), spleen and/or small intestine were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The acute allergic skin response was reduced by more than 50% in sensitized mice fed the fish oil diet compared to the control diet. In addition, anti-whey-IgE and anti-whey-IgG1 levels were decreased in the fish oil group. Serum transfer confirmed that the Th2-type humoral response was suppressed since sera of fish oil fed sensitized mice had a diminished capacity to induce an allergic effector response in naïve recipient mice compared to control sera. Furthermore, the acute skin response was diminished upon passive sensitization in fish oil fed naïve recipient mice. In addition, the percentage of activated Th1 cells was reduced by fish oil in spleen and MLN of sham mice. The percentage of activated Th2 cells was reduced in both sham- and whey-sensitized mice. In contrast, whey-sensitized mice showed an increased percentage of CD11b+CD103+CD8α- DC in MLN in association with enhanced FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in spleen and intestine of fish oil fed whey-sensitized mice compared to sham mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dietary n-3 LCPUFA largely prevented allergic sensitization in a murine model for cow's milk allergy by suppressing the humoral response, enhancing local intestinal and systemic Treg and reducing acute allergic symptoms, suggesting future applications for the primary prevention of food allergy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L W J
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: van den Elsen
authors.forename: B C A M
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: van Esch
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kant
authors.forename: B J M
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: van de Heijning
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garssen
authors.forename: L E M
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Willemsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000276:immunology; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D016269:Milk Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004042:Dietary Fats, Unsaturated; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D005395:Fish Oils; D007136:Immunoglobulins