DIETARY SAFFLOWER OIL, COMPARED TO COCONUT OIL, DIFFERENTLY AFFECTS SPLENOCYTE FUNCTIONS IN OVALBUMIN-SENSITIZED RATS, LEADING TO ELEVATIONOF THE CIRCULATORY IGE
Hr. Ju et al., DIETARY SAFFLOWER OIL, COMPARED TO COCONUT OIL, DIFFERENTLY AFFECTS SPLENOCYTE FUNCTIONS IN OVALBUMIN-SENSITIZED RATS, LEADING TO ELEVATIONOF THE CIRCULATORY IGE, Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 41(3-4), 1997, pp. 247-255
Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and protein kinase C (PKC) affect prolifer
ation of T cell and its subset which lead classical B cell isotype swi
tching to immunoglobulin (Ig) E. In order to examine a mechanism(s) un
derlying different levels of circulating IgE in response to dietary sa
turated and polyunsaturated fats, production of PGE(2) and activity of
PKC were measured in splenocytes of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized rats.
Safflower oil (SO) diet-fed rats, compared to coconut oil diet-fed rat
s, elevated serum levels of OVA-specific IgE and IgG2a and lowered the
IgG1. Activity of PKC and concanavalin (Con) A-induced T-lymphoprolif
eration were lowered in splenocytes from SO diet-fed rats. Production
of PGE(2) was elevated splenocytes from SO diet-fed rats; however, thi
s difference was disappeared when the cells were cultured with Con A.
SO diet-fed rats increased proportion of linoleic acid but decreased t
he arachidonic acid in splenocyte phospholipids. We conclude that diet
ary polyunsaturated fatty acid is an important modulator of PGE(2) pro
duction and PKC activity in splenic immune cells and it may play a rol
e in the circulatory level of IgE.