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065 MATERNAL DIET EFFECT ON INTESTINAL IMMUNE RESPONSE TO EXPERIMENTAL COLITIS IN OFFSPRING RATS C Dai, X Wu, D Girminder, S Innis, K Jacobson Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are recurrent inflammatory disorders whose origins can be attributed to both genetic and environmental factors. In westernized countries, the increasing incidence and changing phenotype of IBD has been linked to increased consumption of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).
Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
AIM: To assess the effects of dietary PUFA on intestinal epithelial barrier and immune function of the developing intestine and the hypothesis is that n-3 PUFA has anti-inflammation function for the intestinal development.
METHODS: Female Sprague Dawley rats were administered safflower oil (high in n-6), canola oil (high in n-3) or fish oil (high in n-3, deficient in n-6) diets two weeks prior to mating, during pregnancy and lactation. Male offspring were weaned onto chow diet until 12 weeks post-natal age. Animals from each diet group were divided into 1) control group (no additional treatment), 2) colitis group, intra-rectal (ir) administration of dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (DNBS, 20mg in 0.25ml 50% ethanol) or 3) ethanol control group (0.25ml of 50% ethanol ir). Epithelial barrier function was assessed in the control group, and inflammatory markers (weights, colonic macroscopic histological damage, TNF-alpha and LTB4) were assessed in colitis and ethanol control groups. Animals were sacrificed 5 days post ir ethanol or DNBS.
RESULTS: No significant differences in intestinal permeability were observed among post-natal offspring for any of the three dietary groups. Weight loss was most marked in colitic offspring from mothers consuming a fish oil diet, followed by canola oil offspring (Fish vs Safflower P<0.001; Fish vs Canola P<0.01). Consistent with the weight loss, colitic offspring from mothers consuming a fish oil diet demonstrated the highest macroscopic and histological damage scores, followed by canola oil offspring (Fish vs Safflower P<0.01; Fish vs Canola P<0.05). TNF-alpha and LTB4 were significantly higher in the fish oil offspring compared to offspring from other dietary groups (Fish vs Safflower, Fish vs Canola P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: In contrast to the beneficial anti-inflammatory effects of fish oil in adult rats, dietary fish oil in developing offspring exacerbated the intestinal inflammatory response to DNBS-induced colitis. The deficiency of n-6 PUFAs and possibly ARA associated with the fish oil diet were likely instrumental in exacerbating the inflammatory response in post-natal offspring rats.