Dietary Marine n-3 PUFAs Do Not Affect Stress-Induced Visceral Hypersensitivity in a Rat Maternal Separation Model.

Background: Although never evaluated for efficacy, n-3 (ω-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) are commercially offered as treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Objective: This study was designed to investigate, in a mast cell-dependent model for visceral hypersensitivity, whether this pathophysiologic mechanism can be reversed by dietary LCPUFA treatment via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARG) activation.

Methods: Maternally separated rats were subjected to hypersensitivity-inducing acute stress at adult age.