Abstract
BackgroundStudies showed the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acid (n-3 FA) for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease as it alleviated the symptoms and promoted better mucosal integrity. The objective of this study was to determine whether a diet with the addition of n-3 FA helps control the inflammation observed in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induced mucositis.MethodsBALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups as follows: 1: control (CTL), fed a standard chow diet; 2: CTL + n-3 FA – n-3 FA, fed a diet with n-3; 3: mucositis (MUC), fed a standard chow diet and subjected to mucositis; and 4: MUC+ n-3 FA, fed a diet with n-3 FA and subjected to mucositis. On the 8th day, the animals of the MUC and MUC + n-3 FA groups received an intraperitoneal injection of 300 mg/kg 5-FU for mucositis induction. After 24 h or 72 h, all mice were euthanized and evaluated for intestinal permeability, bacterial translocation, intestinal histology and apoptosis.ResultsMice that received the diet with n-3 FA and a 5-FU injection showed less weight loss compared to the animals of the MUC group (p < 0.005). Decreased intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation were also observed in animals fed n-3 FA, and these mice underwent mucositis compared to the MUC group (p < 0.005). These data were associated with mucosal integrity and a reduced number of apoptotic cells in the ileum mucosa compared to the mice that received the control diet and 5-FU injection.ConclusionTogether, these results show that omega-3 fatty acid decreases the mucosal damage caused by 5-FU-induced mucositis.
Highlights
Studies showed the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acid (n-3 FA) for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease as it alleviated the symptoms and promoted better mucosal integrity
Diet with omega-3 fatty acid prevents weight loss, intestinal mucosal damage and bacteria translocation Figure 1a shows that after both 24 and 72 h of mucositis induction, mice from the MUC group had higher weight loss compared with the control group (p < 0.05)
72 h after the 5-FU injection (Fig. 2b), the intestinal permeability was higher in the MUC group compared to the CTL group (p < 0.05), whereas, the animals that received n-3 FA and underwent mucositis had decreased intestinal permeability compared to the MUC group mice (p < 0.05)
Summary
Studies showed the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acid (n-3 FA) for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease as it alleviated the symptoms and promoted better mucosal integrity. Results: Mice that received the diet with n-3 FA and a 5-FU injection showed less weight loss compared to the animals of the MUC group (p < 0.005). Decreased intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation were observed in animals fed n-3 FA, and these mice underwent mucositis compared to the MUC group (p < 0.005). These data were associated with mucosal integrity and a reduced number of apoptotic cells in the ileum mucosa compared to the mice that received the control diet and 5-FU injection. EPA and DHA can replace arachidonic acid in cell membranes and suppress pro-inflammatory mediator production [4]
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