Dietary fish oil results in a microenvironment with high anti-inflammatory potential, but does not inhibit mice from mounting an effective immune response to Borrelia burgdorferi. (51.9)

Abstract

Abstract Dietary fish oil is suggested to alleviate a variety of inflammatory disorders by altering eicosanoid production. However, the extent of changes resulting from a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids is unknown, and any benefits resulting from these changes are unsubstantiated. Several studies conclude that the lack of phenotypic effects of fish oil result from an inability to consume sufficient quantities for any benefits to be evident. We fed mice either a control diet containing 18% by weight soybean oil or fish oil and infected the mice with Borrelia burgdorferi in order to quantify changes in temporal eicosanoid production throughout the course of disease. Using a lipidomics approach, we detected dramatic temporal and compositional changes in the majority of the 103 eicosanoids monitored. LOX metabolites produced in fish oil-fed mice were primarily generated non-enzymatically, and arachidonic acid metabolism was shunted from PGE2 synthesis to PGD2 synthesis resulting in the production and accumulation of 15d-PGJ2. Despite the fact that the fish oil diet led to a highly anti-inflammatory microenvironment, mice were able to mount an immune response and clear infection as well as mice fed a control diet. This study confirms that a diet high in fish oil results in a microenvironment with high anti-inflammatory potential but does not necessarily affect the ability of the organism to mount an effective immune response to infection with Borrelia burgdorferi.