Antimalarial effects of purified and α-tocopherol—fortified n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Abstract

A vitamin E-deficient diet containing fish oil is known to afford a protection against malaria in mice. In the present study we examined whether the dietary supplementation with α-tocopherol—fortified n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ethyl esters (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ethyl ester) had a protective effect against malaria. Four groups of mice were each given one of the following diets: (1). powered standard chow (REF group); (2). 90% (wt) lipid-free diet with 8% lard and 2% safflower oil (SAF group); (3). 90% lipid-free diet with 8% lard and 2% EPA ethyl ester (EPA group); and (4). 90% lipid-free diet with 8% lard and 2% DHA ethyl ester (DHA group). Safflower oil, EPA, and DHA were fortified with 0.2% α-tocopherol before mixing dietary components. After 6 weeks on these diets, mice were inoculated with Plasmodium yoelii, and the same diets were continued until the end of the experiment. The survival rates of the four groups 46 days after the inoculation were 1 2 , 0 12 , 5 12 , and 4 10 in the REF, SAF, EPA, and DHA groups, respectively. There was a significant difference in the survival rates ( P < 0.025) among the groups. It may be possible to conduct a clinical trial with malarial patients using EPA or DHA ethyl ester fortified with α-tocopherol.