Background: Dietary lipids enhance immune function and improve outcome from
injury or infection in animal models. We tested the hypothesis that amount
, type, or both, of dietary lipid increases intracellular calcium concentra
tion, a surrogate for lymphocyte activation.
Methods: Mice were fed 2 weeks on semipurified diets with 5% (by weight [w/
w]), 10% (w/w), or 20% (w/w) dietary fat consisting of coconut, olive, saff
lower, or linseed oil. Changes in intracellular calcium concentration after
mitogen stimulation of splenic lymphocytes was estimated by using now cyto
metry.
Results: olive oil diets increase intracellular calcium concentration after
concanavalin A, lipopolysaccharide, and CD3 stimulation. On the other hand
, linseed oil (which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown
in other studies to enhance immune function) depresses intracellular calciu
m levels. The amount of dietary fat had no effect on intracellular calcium.
Conclusion:Olive oil merits further study in the application of nutritional
pharmacology to immunomodulation of the critically injured, because it may
enhance lymphocyte function.