Liver Transplants: Here's How Omega-3s Protect Against Inflammation
Fish oil protects the liver from inflammation caused by transplants and other surgeries
The molecular mechanisms activated by Omega 3 to protect the liver from inflammation caused by surgical procedures, including transplants, have been uncovered. This discovery was made by a group of researchers from the University of Chile in Santiago in a study published by the journal PloS One. The finding opens new perspectives in the prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury, phenomena often associated with some operations.
The protective role of Omega-3 in liver transplants
Ischemia is a condition in which blood flow to an organ decreases or even stops completely. This phenomenon, associated with events like heart attack or certain surgeries, causes a damaging oxygen deficiency in tissues. On the other hand, reperfusion, that is, the restoration of blood circulation, can also damage organs, mainly due to the intense inflammation triggered by immune system activation. In particular, ischemia-reperfusion injury seriously endangers tissue health following some surgical interventions where these two phenomena occur. A well-studied case is that of liver transplants, where it has been shown that this type of damage can be limited through appropriate treatments of the organ to be transplanted. For example, experiments in rats have demonstrated that intake of Omega-3 EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) protects the donor’s liver from damage. The effectiveness of these fatty acids is based on reducing the activation of NF-kB, a protein associated with inflammation and activated by this type of injury.
New insights into the mechanisms of action
The South American researchers discovered further details of this process by analyzing the activity of NF-kB and related molecules in rats that were given a fish oil supplement for 7 days before inducing liver ischemia-reperfusion injury. After this initial week, liver damage was induced by 1 hour of ischemia followed by 20 hours of reperfusion. Regarding the overall liver health status, Omega-3 intake was associated with normalization of transaminase levels and liver morphology, parameters altered in case of liver damage. Molecular analyses also revealed that besides reducing NF-kB activation, these fatty acids promote the association between NF-kB and an anti-inflammatory molecule, PPAR-α. At the same time, researchers found that Omega-3 treatment increases the stability of IκB-α, a molecule that counteracts NF-kB activation. The result of these phenomena is an increased expression of genes regulated by PPAR-α and normalization of levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, two pro-inflammatory molecules whose production is controlled by NF-kB.
Omega-3, efficacy no longer a secret
Overall, these data indicate that PPAR-α and NF-κB compete to control the production of inflammation mediators. Omega-3 fatty acids therefore protect the liver from ischemia-reperfusion injury by promoting the formation of complexes between PPAR-α and NF-κB and by increasing the stability of IκB-α.
Source
1. Zúñiga J, Cancino M, Medina F, Varela P, Vargas R, Tapia G, Videla LA, Fernández V, “N-3 PUFA supplementation triggers PPAR-α activation and PPAR-α/NF-κB interaction: anti-inflammatory implications in liver ischemia-reperfusion injury”, PLoS One. 2011;6(12):e28502. Epub 2011 Dec 8
