Ja. Johnson et al., ESSENTIAL FATTY-ACIDS INFLUENCE SURVIVAL IN SEPSIS, The journal of trauma, injury, infection, and critical care, 35(1), 1993, pp. 128-131
Metabolites of arachidonic acid, formed from omega-6 essential fatty a
cids (n-6), play a pathologic role in mortality from sepsis. Metabolit
es of eicosapentaenoic acid, formed from omega-3 essential fatty acids
(n-3), are less potent inflammatory mediators. Dietary restriction of
n-6 fatty acids or supplementation with n-3 fatty acids in the form o
f fish oil have been shown to decrease the production of n-6 metabolit
es. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (350-400 g) were divided to receive eithe
r rat chow (CHOW) or essential-fatty-acid-deficient chow (EFAD) and su
bdivided to receive 1 mL daily of either fish oil (N3), linoleic acid
(N6), or normal saline (NS), via gastric gavage. Two weeks later, half
of the animals in each group underwent cecal ligation and puncture (C
LP) to induce peritonitis or sham (SHAM) celiotomy. Survival was tabul
ated for 7 days. Survival was significantly decreased for animals unde
rgoing CLP for both the N6 and NS groups but not for the N3 group. Ome
ga-3 fatty acids as the sole essential fatty acids or as a supplement
to a ''routine'' diet, when fed to rats for 2 weeks before a septic ch
allenge, improved survival in this peritonitis model.