These findings recommend that “an increase of omega-3 consumption may be beneficial to patients diagnosed with MS,” scientists said.
“We believe our findings could lead to the discovery of new solutions to aid in managing symptoms of multiple sclerosis and other chronic inflammatory diseases like diabetes,” Aditi Das, PhD, said in a press release from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Das is a teacher at Georgia Tech University and co-author of the research study.
The research study, “Role of omega-3 endocannabinoids in the modulation of T-cell activity in a multiple sclerosis experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model,” was released in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
The function of diet plan in MS is intricate, and there is no specific unique diet plan that is extensively advised for individuals with the illness. However, some research studies have actually recommended that omega-3 fats, a group of fat particles typically discovered in fish oil, might have anti-inflammatory homes.
In this research study, a group of U.S. researchers examined the prospective anti-inflammatory results of DHEA, among the omega-3 fatty particles typical in fish oil supplements. Once inside the body, this fatty particle is transformed into “metabolites that are immunomodulatory and may be beneficial as a potential nutrition-based intervention in diseases with aberrant inflammatory responses such as MS,” the scientists composed.
“Our goal was to use something that is naturally found in food and the human body to see if we can enhance it to reduce the disease severity in multiple sclerosis patients,” they included.
In a very first series of test done utilizing cells in meals, the scientists checked out the results of DHEA treatment on T-cells, a kind of inflammatory immune cell with a main function in MS.
High dosages of DHEA
When these cells are triggered, they produce pro-inflammatory signifying particles to set off an immune attack. However, treatment with high dosages of DHEA decreased the production of these signifying particles from triggered T-cells.
T-cells can go through various polarizations — programs of molecular activity that help to collaborate various kinds of immune actions. DHEA treatment decreased 2 polarizations called Th1 and Th17, both of which have actually been linked in MS.
The scientists next checked the results of DHEA treatment in mice with speculative autoimmune sleeping sickness (EAE), a typical design of MS. In these experiments DHEA was administered by means of injection into the animals’ abdominal areas, instead of by means of dietary usage.
Results revealed that mice treated with DHEA were slower to establish signs than mice provided a non-active vehicle. “These data suggest that the DHEA treatment decreased the severity of the disease,” the scientists composed.
The scientists kept in mind there were “responders” and “non-responders” to DHEA treatment amongst the private mice. Specifically, in a few of the DHEA-treated mice, there was substantially longer durations of remission in between the induction of illness and later on regression, while others established the illness at the very same time as unattended mice.
Analyses of nerve system tissues from the cured mice suggested that, in line with the earlier information from cell experiments, DHEA treatment decreased the variety of inflammatory T-cells in the mouse design.
Study conclusions
Overall, the scientists concluded that DHEA “can influence T-cell polarization and influence T-cell effector function, thereby showing a positive outcome in autoimmune diseases such as MS.” The group said these information support the concept that taking in omega-3 fats might be helpful in MS.
“There is no cure for MS, yet, and anything to help improve the patients’ symptoms is always of interest,” said Justin Kim, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-author of the research study.
“I’ve seen that a lot of patients with multiple sclerosis are fully in tune with the research,” Kim said. “They are always trying to do everything that they can to improve their symptoms, whether it be through exercise, diet or just healthy living, while trying to reduce their consumption of heavy pain medications.”
