title: Oral supplementation with fish oil reduces dryness and pruritus in the acetone-induced dry skin rat model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pruritus and discomfort are often present in patients with xerosis and atopic dermatitis. Several studies suggest an important role of diet in skin pathophysiology.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the effect of dietary fatty acids in the skin physiology via an itch-related animal model with and without supplementation with fish oil (FO), a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially omega 3 (n-3).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups-non-supplemented (control) and supplemented with FO (3g/kg/day) by gavage for 90 days. Every 30 days, scratching and skin parameters (transepidermal water loss (TEWL), hydration, and local blood flow) were evaluated before and after dorsal skin exposure to acetone to induce the itch-related dry skin. At the end of the study, animals were sacrificed, and skin samples collected for fatty acids composition analysis by GC-FID.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FO supplementation reduced the TEWL and increased the skin hydration, with significant changes from day 60 on, while skin microcirculation registered no changes. It also alleviated the acetone induced skin barrier alteration, revealed by a faster resolution of TEWL and hydration, and elimination of itch-related scratching induced by dry skin. These changes were associated with the shift in the skin fatty acids incorporation pattern (richer in n-3 with n-6/n-3<5) resulting from the FO supplementation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Skin barrier dynamics seem to be influenced by FO n-3 PUFA, with suppressive effects on the scratching behaviour induced by dry skin. Hence, long-term supplementation with n-3 PUFA rich nutrients might reinforce and restore cutaneous integrity and function.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Pharmacological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; CBIOS, Research Center for Bioscience and Health Technologies, Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal; Both authors have contributed equally to this work.
authors.forename: Raquel C S
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Barcelos
authors.affiliation: Pharmacological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; Both authors have contributed equally to this work.. Electronic address: csampayo@ff.ulisboa.pt.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Mello-Sampayo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Caren T D
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Antoniazzi
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Hecson J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Segat
authors.affiliation: CBIOS, Research Center for Bioscience and Health Technologies, Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tecnologia dos Alimentos, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Tecnologia dos Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Veit
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Tecnologia dos Alimentos, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Tecnologia dos Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jaqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piccolo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Tecnologia dos Alimentos, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Tecnologia dos Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, 97105-900 Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Emanuelli
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marilise E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bürger
authors.affiliation: Pharmacological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Silva-Lima
authors.affiliation: Pharmacological Sciences Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal; CBIOS, Research Center for Bioscience and Health Technologies, Universidade Lusófona, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luis M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D011537:Pruritus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis; D014870:Water Loss, Insensible
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D014867:Water; D000096:Acetone
keywords: Dry skin; Fish oil; Omega-3; Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA); Rat-itch model; Skin barrier