Evaluation of suppressive and pro-resolving effects of EPA and DHA in human primary monocytes and T-helper cells.

Despite their beneficial anti-inflammatory properties, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may increase the infection risk at high doses, likely by generating an immune-depressed state. To assess the contribution of different immune cell populations to the immunomodulatory fatty acid effect, we comparatively investigated several aspects of inflammation in human T-helper (Th) cells and monocytes. Both fatty acids, but DHA to a lesser extent compared with EPA, selectively and dose-dependently reduced the percentage of cytokine-expressing Th cells in a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)γ-dependent fashion, whereas the expression of the cell surface marker CD69 was unaltered on activated T cells.

Vaccenic acid-mediated reduction in cytokine production is independent of c9,t11-CLA in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

The ruminant trans fatty acid vaccenic acid (tVA) favorably alters markers of inflammation. However, it is not yet clear whether these effects are attributed to its endogenous partial conversion to c9,t11-CLA, which is known to possess anti-inflammatory properties. We compared the cytokine reducing potential of tVA to c9,t11-CLA in human T-helper (Th) cells as a main source of cytokine production during inflammation.