Aj. Chu et al., DAILY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH MAXEPA SUPPRESSES ENDOTOXIN-INDUCIBLE MONOCYTIC PROCOAGULATION IN DOGS, The Journal of surgical research, 71(1), 1997, pp. 93-99
Fish intake has long been recognized to play an important role in huma
n health, for example, in reduction of the incidence of heart disease
and some cancers and as immunosuppressors. In this study, we examined
the effect of dietary supplementation with fish oils (FO) on monocytic
procoagulant activity (PCA) in dogs. Six mongrel dogs were fed daily
chow containing FO concentrate (MaxEPA, 0.5 g/kg body wt/day) for 8 we
eks. Blood samples were drawn during a 20-week experimental period [i.
e., before, during (weekly), and after (biweekly) MaxEPA supplementati
on] to measure monocytic PCA, PCA activation induced by endotoxin [lip
opolysaccharide (LPS)], and plasma levels of total cholesterol, trigly
ceride, and fibrinogen (FBG;). PCA was generally stimulated drasticall
y by approximately 19-fold on incubation of whole blood with LPS (1 mu
g/ml) in vitro for 2 hr. The basal PCA remained essentially unchanged
over the entire experimental period irrespective of MaxEPA supplement
ation; however, LPS-induced PCA activation was reduced by 50% (P < 0.0
5) 3 weeks after MaxEPA was introduced. This inhibition remained signi
ficant up to Week 10 and reached 75% at Week 12. Thereafter, PCA activ
ation gradually returned to the level before supplementation. The plas
ma levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and fibrinogen were dete
rmined to be 178.8 +/- 6.0, 46.7 +/- 3.9, and 61.3 +/- 5.5 mg/dl, resp
ectively. These plasma contents were neither correlated with LPS-induc
ed PCA activation nor affected significantly by MaxEPA supplementation
. Following a similar protocol, we also showed that MaxEPA supplementa
tion resulted in a profound depression (-80%) of LPS-induced PCA activ
ation in a rabbit, and PCA activation was eventually restored after re
moval of MaxEPA from the diet, Our results suggest a beneficial potent
ial of MaxEPA supplementation in the management of atherothrombotic di
seases in response to LPS infection. (C) 1997 Academic Press.