Dietary omega-3 fatty acids enhance the B1 but not the B2 cell immune response in mice with antigen-induced peritonitis.

• Published in: The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
• Main Authors: Tomasdottir, Valgerdur, Thorleifsdottir, Sigrun, Vikingsson, Arnor, Hardardottir, Ingibjorg, Freysdottir, Jona
• Other Authors: Landspitali, Univ Hosp Iceland, Ctr Rheumatol Res, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Landspitali, Univ Hosp Iceland, Dept Immunol, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland Univ Iceland, Fac Med, Biomed Ctr, Dept Biochem & Mol Biol, IS-101 Reykjavik, Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Science 2014
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens; B-Lymphocytes; Fatty Acids; Omega-3; Female; Flow Cytometry; Mice; Inbred C57BL; Peritonitis; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/326386; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2013.09.010

To access publisher's full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field. The effects of omega-3 fatty acids on the adaptive immune response have mainly been analysed in vitro with varying results. How omega-3 fatty acids affect the adaptive immune response in vivo is largely unknown. This study examined the effects of dietary fish oil on the adaptive immune response in antigen-induced inflammation in mice, focusing on its effects on B cells and B cell subsets. Mice were fed a control diet with or without 2.8% fish oil, immunized twice with methylated BSA (mBSA) and peritonitis induced by intraperitoneal injection of mBSA. Serum, spleen and peritoneal exudate were collected prior to and at different time points after induction of peritonitis. Serum levels of mBSA-specific antibodies were determined by ELISA and the number of peritoneal and splenic lymphocytes by flow cytometry. The levels of germinal center B cells and IgM(+), IgG(+) and CD138(+) cells in spleen were evaluated by immunoenzyme staining. Mice fed the fish oil diet had more peritoneal B1 cells, more IgM(+) cells in spleen and higher levels of serum mBSA-specific IgM antibodies compared with that in mice fed the control diet. However, dietary fish oil did not affect the number of peritoneal B2 cells, splenic IgG(+) or CD138(+) cells or serum levels of mBSA-specific IgG antibodies in mice with mBSA-induced peritonitis. These results indicate that dietary fish oil can enhance the adaptive immune response, specifically the B1 cell response, which may lead to better protection against secondary infection as well as improvement in reaching homeostasis following antigenic challenge. Icelandic Research Fund University of Iceland Landspitali University Hospital Research Fund