title: Experimental Research on Stimulation of Wound Healing by n-3 Fatty Acids.
abstract: Objexctive. The objective of this study was to investigate the wound healing effects of n-3 fatty acids and to identify factors that stimulate wound healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four-week-old male Wistar rats were subjected to full-thickness skin wounds and assigned to 3 experimental diet groups (an n-3 fatty acid-fortified diet, a diet with a 1:3 ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids, and an n-6 fatty acid-fortified diet). Intergroup comparisons were conducted for the changes in wound areas, the number of days to wound healing, and blood cytokines, blood hydroxyproline, and blood chemistry test values on the day before and after wound healing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of days to wound healing in the n-3/n-6 fatty acid group (18.4 ± 1.8 days) was significantly shorter than in the n-3 fatty acid-fortified diet (21.6 ± 1.6 days) and n-6 fatty acid-fortified diet groups (21.9 ± 1.8 days). This suggests that the n-3/n-6 fatty acid diet stimulates wound healing (P < 0.05). Changes in wound area, however, were not significantly different. The n-3 fatty acid-fortified diet was found to have potent immunopotentiating and anti-inflammatory effects in the group receiving this diet, as evidenced by total blood lymphocyte count and plasma levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and sialic acid on day 1 after wounding. The plasma hydroxyproline concentrations noted in the groups with a diet containing n-3 fatty acids indicate that this fatty acid type stimulates wound healing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that n-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory and immunopotentiating effects, and are beneficial in the wound healing process, particularly during early inflammation. ﻿.
authors: Department of Surgery and Palliative Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan; email: myk@zc.ztv.ne.jp.
authors: Akihiko
authors: A
authors: Futamura
authors: Department of Surgery and Palliative Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Higashiguchi
authors: Department of Surgery and Palliative Medicine, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Akihiro
authors: A
authors: Ito
authors: Digestive Disease Center, Tokeidai-Memorial Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
authors: Yoshiyuki
authors: Y
authors: Kodama
authors: Fujita Memorial Nanakuri Institute, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Chihara
authors: Fujita Memorial Nanakuri Institute, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Takaaki
authors: T
authors: Kaneko
authors: Fujita Memorial Nanakuri Institute, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Akiko
authors: A
authors: Tomatsu
authors: Fujita Memorial Nanakuri Institute, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan.
authors: Kan
authors: K
authors: Shimpo