Effects of a fish oil rich diet on hyperoxic lung damage in mice

Mice were fed a chow diet plus 10% cellulose, 10% fish oil or 10% sunflower oil for 3 weeks, then exposed to 100% oxygen for 75 h. Large changes in lung fatty acid composition occurred, but this did not affect hyperoxic lung damage nor levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances or myeloperoxidase in lungs of mice following exposure to hyperoxia. Thus there is no evidence that the ingestion of large quantities of fish oil increased the susceptibility to the oxidative stress induced by hyperoxia.     

Effect of neutrophilokines on the immune response in mice

The influence of different peptide fractions obtained from the intact and latex-stimulated neutrophils on the immune response was studied. It was demonstrated that neutrophils after stimulation synthesize the factors activating immune response, the intact neutrophils synthesize the suppressor factors of peptide nature.     

Effect of cyclooxygenase genotype and dietary fish oil on colonic eicosanoids in mice

Dietary ω3 fatty acids can modulate substrate availability for cyclooxygenases (COXs) and lipoxygenases, thus modulating downstream eicosanoid formation. This could be an alternative approach to using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other COX inhibitors for limiting Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) synthesis in colon cancer prevention. The aims of this study were to evaluate to what extent COX- and lipoxygenase-derived products could be modulated by dietary fish oil in normal colonic mucosa and to evaluate the role of COX-1 and COX-2 in the formation of these products. Mice (wild-type, COX-1 null or COX-2 null) were fed a diet supplying a broad mixture of fatty acids present in European/American diets, supplemented with either olive oil (oleate control diet) or menhaden (fish) oil ad libitum for 9-11 weeks. Colonic eicosanoid levels were measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS), and proliferation was assessed by Ki67 immunohistochemistry. For the dietary alteration of colonic arachidonic acid: eicosapentaenoic ratios resulted in large shifts in formation of COX and lipoxygenase metabolites. COX-1 knockout virtually abolished PGE(2) formation, but interestingly, 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic (12-HETE) acid and 15-HETE formation was increased. The large changes in eicosanoid profiles were accompanied by relatively small changes in colonic crypt proliferation, but such changes in eicosanoid formation might have greater biological impact upon carcinogen challenge. These results indicate that in normal colon, inhibition of COX-2 would have little effect on reducing PGE(2) levels.     

Effect of fish oil and coconut oil diet on the LDL receptor activity of rat liver plasma membranes

The influence of 4 weeks treatment with fish oil and coconut oil enriched diets on the chemical composition of rat liver plasma membranes and LDL and on the binding of LDL to liver membranes was investigated. Rats fed fish oil diet showed a total, LDL and HDL plasma cholesterol concentration lower than the values observed in rats fed coconut oil and to a lesser extent lower than those of rats fed standard laboratory diet. LDL of rats on fish oil diet had a relative percentage of cholesterol and phospholipid lower, while that of triacylglycerol was greater. Furthermore, fish oil feeding was associated with a greater concentration of n - 3 fatty acids and a lower arachidonic and linoleic acid content in LDL. Liver plasma membranes isolated from fish oil rats showed a higher percentage of n - 3 fatty acids, while only a trace amount of these fatty acids was found in control and coconut oil fed animals. In binding experiments performed with LDL and liver membranes from fish oil fed rats and control rats, binding affinity (Kd = 3.47 +/- 0.93 and 4.56 +/- 1.27, respectively) was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) as compared to that found using membranes and lipoprotein from coconut oil fed rats (Kd = 6.82 +/- 2.69). In cross-binding experiments performed with fish oil LDL and coconut oil liver plasma membranes or coconut oil LDL and fish oil liver plasma membranes, the LDL binding affinity was comparable and similar to that found in fish oil fed animals. No difference was found in the Bmax among all the groups of binding experiments. Our data seem to indicate that during fish oil diet the higher binding affinity of LDL to liver plasma membranes might be partly responsible of the hypocholesterolemic action of marine oil rich diet as compared to saturated diet. Furthermore, the modifications of binding affinity induced by changes of LDL and membrane source, suggest that lipoprotein and liver plasma membrane composition may be an important variable in binding studies.     

Effect of anthelminthic treatment on the immune response of mice

Immunologic function was tested both in vivo and in vitro in mice undergoing prophylactic anthelminthic therapy with three agents to assess whether these drugs affected immune responses. This study was performed because investigators often are concerned about the effect of drug treatment on the induction of specific immune responses. While helminthic infestation is recognized as deleterious to the host, it is unclear whether anthelminthic treatment might be immunosuppressive. The effects of piperazine or trichlorphon administered to drinking water or fenbendazole administered in feed were insignificant in BALB/c mice. The induction of allospecific cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in vitro, influenza specific memory T cells in vivo, influenza specific antibody secretion in vivo, or influenza-specific helper T cells and CTLs in vitro were examined. Results of this study indicate that anthelminthic treatments did not interfere with immune responses.     

Comparative effects of fish oil given by gavage and fish oil-enriched diet on leukocytes

The comparative effects of fish oil given by gavage and fish oil enriched diet on metabolism and function of lymphocytes and macrophages were investigated. For this purpose, the following parameters were examined: 1) phagocytosis capacity, production of superoxide (O2*-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by macrophages, 2) lymphocytes proliferation capacity, 3) antioxidant enzyme activities in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MEN) and liver, 4) Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) content in MLN, liver, and plasma, 5) total antioxidant capacity of the plasma, and 6) fatty acid composition of macrophages, MLN, liver and plasma. Both FO treatments did not affect phagocytosis capacity but increased hydrogen peroxide production by macrophages in the presence of PMA. FO given by gavage markedly increased lymphocytes proliferation both in the absence (5.8-fold) and in the presence (16.7-fold) of Con A, whereas FO-rich diet showed an increase in the presence of Con A only (53.3%). FO given by gavage raised the proliferation index by 2.9-fold and FO-rich diet increased by 29% only as compared to controls. Concomitantly, FO given by gavage was more effective to increase TBARS content in plasma. The proportion of some fatty acids in the tissues and cells was also differently changed depending on the way FO was administered to rats: in particular: myristic, arachidonic, and eicosapentaenoic acids. This fact may partially explain the differences between both FO treatments.     

Effect of linseed oil and macadamia oil on metabolic changes induced by high‐fat diet in mice

The effects of linseed oil (LO) and macadamia oil (MO) on the metabolic changes induced by a high‐fat diet (HFD) rich in saturated fatty acid were investigated. For the purpose of this study, the vegetable oil present in the HFD, i.e. soybean oil (SO) was replaced with LO (HFD‐LO) or MO (HFD‐MO). For comparative purposes, a group was included, which received a normal fat diet (NFD). Male Swiss mice (6‐week old) were used. After 14 days under the dietary conditions, the mice were fasted for 18 h, and experiments were then performed. The HFD‐SO, HFD‐LO and HFD‐MO groups showed higher glycaemia (p < 0.05 versus NFD). However, no significant effect was observed on glycaemia, liver gluconeogenesis and liver ketogenesis when SO was replaced by either LO or MO. The body weight and the sum of epididymal, mesenteric, retroperitoneal and inguinal fat weights were higher (p < 0.05) in the HFD‐SO and HFD‐MO groups as compared with the NFD group. However, there was no significant difference in these parameters between the NFD and HFD‐LO groups. Thus, the protective role of LO on lipid accumulation induced by an HFD rich in saturated fatty acid is potentially mediated by the high content of ?‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid in LO. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of the spleen extracts on primary immune response in mice]

Experiments were conducted on mice. Direct Jerne's test demonstrated a possibility of intensification of the primary immune response in the sexually mature mice under the effect of the splenic extracts. The significance of the extract dose and of the time of administration for the manifestation of the stimulating action was studied.     

A fish oil diet rich in eicosapentaenoic acid reduces cyclooxygenase metabolites, and suppresses lupus in MRL-lpr mice

Dietary supplementation of fish oil as the exclusive source of lipid suppresses autoimmune lupus in MRL-lpr mice. This marine oil diet decreases the lymphoid hyperplasia regulated by the lpr gene, prevents an increase in macrophage surface Ia expression, reduces the formation of circulating retroviral gp70 immune complexes, delays the onset of renal disease, and prolongs survival. We show that a fatty acid component uniquely present in fish oil but not in vegetable oil decreases the quantity of dienoic prostaglandin E, thromboxane B, and prostacyclin normally synthesized by multiple tissues, including kidney, lung, and macrophages, and promotes the synthesis of small amounts of trienoic prostaglandin in autoimmune mice. We suggest that this change in endogenous cyclooxygenase metabolite synthesis directly suppresses immunologic and/or inflammatory mediators of murine lupus.     

Effect of adjuvants on the humoral immune response to congopain in mice and cattle

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: We investigated several adjuvants for their effects on the humoral immune response in both mice and cattle using the central domain of congopain (C2), the major cysteine protease of Trypanosoma congolense, as a model for developing a vaccine against animal trypanosomosis. The magnitude and sustainability of the immune response against C2 and the occurrence of a booster effect of infection, an indirect measure of the presence of memory cells, were determined by ELISA, while spectrofluorometry was used to determine and measure the presence of enzyme- inhibiting antibodies. RESULTS: Mice immunized with recombinant C2 in AdjuphosTM, TiterMaxTM, purified saponin Quil ATM or GERBUTM showed the best response according to the evaluation criteria and these three were chosen for the cattle vaccination study. The animals were challenged with T. congolense four and a half months after the last booster. Cattle immunized with recombinant C2 in purified saponin Quil ATM showed the best antibody response according to the measured parameters. CONCLUSIONS: We identified purified saponin Quil ATM as a good adjuvant for immunizations with C2. The results from this study will be useful in future attempts to develop an effective anti-disease vaccine against African trypanosomosis.     

Effect of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on proteinuria in glomerular immune injury

In glomerular immune injury, the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) becomes a major catalyst of NO production. Although iNOS-catalyzed NO production is sustained and can be cytotoxic, iNOS inhibition exacerbates the magnitude of proteinuria that accompanies immune injury. To investigate putative mechanisms of this effect, we assessed changes in glomerular permeability to albumin by using the following two approaches: (i) an in vivo rat model of glomerular immune injury induced by antibody against the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), in which urine albumin excretion was measured under conditions of iNOS inhibition, and (ii) an ex vivo model of isolated rat glomeruli, in which changes in glomerular capillary permeability to albumin were assessed under conditions of NOS inhibition. In rats with anti-GBM antibody-induced glomerular injury, there was an increase in urine albumin excretion. Treatment with two structurally dissimilar iNOS inhibitors at doses sufficient to decrease urine nitrate and/or nitrite exacerbated proteinuria. In these animals, urine excretion of the isoprostane 8-iso-PGF2alpha (marker of oxidative stress) was increased. In isolated glomeruli incubated with the NOS inhibitor L-NMMA, the permeability to albumin increased. This effect was reversed by the NO donor DETA NONOate and by the superoxide dismutase mimetic Tempol. We conclude that NOS-catalyzed NO production is an important mechanism in regulating glomerular permeability to protein. This mechanism involves control of the bioavailability of superoxide.     

Effect of indomethacin on proteinuria in rats with autologous immune complex nephropathy

Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents have been used to reduce levels of urinary protein excretion in patients with the nephrotic syndrome, the general usefulness of these drugs in proteinuric states remains unclear. The present study was designed to confirm the efficacy and to investigate some of the mechanism/s of action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents in animals with proteinuria as the result of a single form experimental renal disease. Autologous immune complex nephropathy was produced in groups of Lewis rats by the administration of autologous tubular F×1A antigen. After marked proteinuria developed, indomethacin (8 mg/kg/day) was administered orally to one group of animals for five days while a control group received only vehicle. The level of urinary protein excretion in the indomethacin treated animals was 420 ± 198 mg/day compared to a level of 1180 ± 306 seen in the untreated animals (p < 0.05). When the indomethacin-treated and control animals were compared, the reduction in proteinuria could not be found to be associated with a change in the glomerular filtration rate, urine electrolyte or osmolar excretion rates, electron microscopic appearance of the glomerular basement membrane, or a change in the glomerular permeability to neutral dextran. Treatment of animals with either sodium salicylate or lower doses of indomethacin (both of which resulted also in significant falls in urinary prostaglandin E excretion rates) failed to reduce the levels of proteinuria. Thus, indomethacin was capable of reducing the levels of protein excretion in rats with autologous immune complex nephropathy although the mechanism of action of this agent remains unclear.     

Effect of indomethacin on proteinuria in rats with autologous immune complex nephropathy

Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents have been used to reduce levels of urinary protein excretion in patients with the nephrotic syndrome, the general usefulness of these drugs in proteinuric states remains unclear. The present study was designed to confirm the efficacy and to investigate some of the mechanism/s of action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents in animals with proteinuria as the result of a single form experimental renal disease. Autologous immune complex nephropathy was produced in groups of Lewis rats by the administration of autologous tubular Fx1A antigen. After marked proteinuria developed, indomethacin (8 mg/kg/day) was administered orally to one group of animals for five days while a control group received only vehicle. The level of urinary protein excretion in the indomethacin treated animals was 420 +/- 198 mg/day compared to a level of 1180 +/- 306 seen in the untreated animals (p less than 0.05). When the indomethacin-treated and control animals were compared, the reduction in proteinuria could not be found to be associated with a change in the glomerular filtration rate, urine electrolyte or osmolar excretion rates, electron microscopic appearance of the glomerular basement membrane, or a change in the glomerular permeability to neutral dextran. Treatment of animals with either sodium salicylate or lower does of indomethacin (both of which resulted also in significant falls in urinary prostaglandin E excretion rates) failed to reduce the levels of proteinuria. Thus, indomethacin was capable of reducing the levels of protein excretion in rats with autologous immune complex nephropathy although the mechanism of action of this agent remains unclear.     

Effect of interleukin-10 null mutation on maternal immune response and reproductive outcome in mice

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory and immune-deviating cytokine expressed in the endometrium and placenta. IL-10 null mutant (IL-10-/-) mice have been employed to examine the role of IL-10 in regulating immune events in early pregnancy and its significance in implantation and pregnancy success. The inflammatory response elicited in endometrial tissue by insemination was amplified in IL-10-/- mice, with a 66% increase in leukocytes in the endometrial stroma on Day 3 of pregnancy. Despite this, no evidence of abnormal type 1/type 2 skewing was seen in T-lymphocytes from lymph nodes draining the uterus. On Day 18 of gestation, IL-10-/- females mated with IL-10-/- males had 15% more implantation sites and 27% more viable fetuses than pregnant wild-type (IL-10+/+) mice. Placental weight was unaffected, but fetal weight and the fetal:placental weight ratio were higher in IL-10-/- pregnancies. Similar data were obtained in allogeneic pregnancies when IL-10-/- females were mated with major-histocompatibility complex (MHC) disparate IL-10-/- males. Pups delivered by IL-10-/- mothers had increased birth weight and followed an altered growth trajectory, with growth impairment evident from early postnatal life into adulthood, which was reflected in alterations in body composition at 14 wk of age. This study shows that although IL-10 is not essential for maternal immune tolerance or successful pregnancy irrespective of MHC disparity in the fetus, maternal IL-10 is a determinant of growth trajectory in progeny in utero and after birth.     

A fish oil diet retards experimental amyloidosis, modulates lymphocyte function, and decreases macrophage arachidonate metabolism in mice

Several recent reports have shown that diets in which the only source of fat was fish oil can modify the course of diseases with an inflammatory or immune component. In these experiments we examined the effect of a fish oil diet on experimental amyloidosis in mice. In most azocasein-treated mice, amyloid deposits were found in the spleen, varying from a trace to wide and contiguous perifollicular bands. The spleens of mice receiving fish oil had significantly less amyloid than did spleens of mice fed corn oil. A marked increase in spontaneous blastogenesis that occurred in azocasein-treated mice on corn oil was suppressed in azocasein-treated mice on fish oil. Substitution of the unsaturated fatty acids of corn oil with those of fish oil was also found to modify the prostaglandin profile of macrophages. This altered profile may change cellular immune function and/or enhance the processing of serum amyloid A to retard the induction of secondary amyloidosis in mice.     

The immune response in fish: a review

The literature relating to the immune response of fish has been reviewed. Non-specific immune mechanisms similar to those of other vertebrate classes occur in fish. Similarly specific cell-mediated immunity has been demonstrated at all levels of evolution, from the cyclostomes to the teleosts. A humoral antibody system also occurs in all classes offish but varies considerably in relation to phylogenetic status. In the cyclostomes, only immuno-proteins with properties intermediate between the immunoglobulms of vertebrates and the non-specific agglutinins and lysins of invertebrates have been demonstrated. In the elasmo-branchs and chondrosteans 7 and 19s irnmunoglobulins of IgM type occur. In holosteans the 19s form is predominant whereas in teleosts, 7 and 19s forms occur, with some evidence of specialization in the 7s form. In the phylogenetically most advanced fish, the Dipnoi, two immunoglobulin classes, structurally analogous to IgM and IgG, have been described.
A characteristic feature of both cell-mediated and antibody mediated immune responses in fish is their dependence upon environmental temperature. There is also evidence that, in some species at least, nutritional factors and behaviour patterns may also influence the immune response.
Attempts at artificial immunization of fish against infectious disease have met with varied success. It is probable that better results could be achieved with live vaccine strains, particularly if applied under conditions optimal for the immune responses.