DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS IN THE TREATMENT OF

INFLAMMATORY DISEASES.

There is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids plays potential role in the treatment of

inflammatory diseases. The role of mega-3 fatty acids is based on shaping and

regulating inflammatory process and responses suggests that the balance of those

fatty acids might be important in determining the development and severity of

inflammatory disease (Calder, 2006).

In 2006 Calder carried out a review on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

inflammation and inflammatory diseases. It was found that eicosanoids plays a

relevant role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, because inflammatory cells

contain a high proportion of the omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, arachidonic

acid and a low proportions of other carbon polyunsaturated fatty acids. The same

review pointed that eicosanoids is one of the principal keys that links

polyunsaturated fatty acids and treatment of inflammatory disease (Calder, 2006).

A study conducted by Deckelbaum and Torrejon (2012) on the omega-3 fatty acid

nutritional lands, demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acid plays many roles in cell

biology and human health and diseases. However omega-3 fatty acids are potential

regulators of a large number of genes.

This essay will discuss the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of

inflammatory diseases. It will focus on rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and

inflammatory bowel disease

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Omega-3 fatty acids in treatment of inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid

and minimising joint damage (Gupta et al (2009). A review paper carried out by

Gupta et al (2009) on role of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation with indomethacin

in suppression of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis, demonstrated that patients

with rheumatoid arthritis are treated with drug therapy including NSAIDs in

combination with omega-3 fatty acids. It is relevant to understand that fish oil and

NSAIDs plays the same role which alleviate pain and reduce inflammation.

The review made by Gupta et al (2009) indicates that patient with rheumatoid

arthritis need to get a dose of 75 mg/day of NSAIDs and may use only 3 to 6 g/day

of omega-3 fatty acids. It is relevant to understand when the dose of omega-3 fatty

acids increase to 9 g/day, patient with rheumatoid arthritis must stop or reduce dose

of NSAIDs to 35 mg/day due to secondary effect of drug.

A review pointed that patient with rheumatoid arthritis who received indomethacin in

combination with omega-3 fatty acids, after 3 months symptoms of inflammation

and pains were decreased due to effect of omega-3 fatty acids and indomethacin

(Gupta et al, 2009). Also the same review showed that the first group of patient with

rheumatoid arthritis who only use indomethacin to treat inflammatory disease such

as (R.A) the P>0.05 but these who combined with omega-3 fatty acids after 12

weeks the P<0.001. This is one of the evidence that omega-3 fatty acids play a

potential role in treatment of inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. In

this case it is relevant to understand that the mechanism of the anti-inflammatory

and analgesic properties of omega-3 fatty acid might be their ability to inhibit

cytokine production and inflammatory mediators at cellular and tissue concentration.

Gupta et al (2009) the review that carried out, revealed that nutritional
supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids may represent an additional therapy to

the traditional pharmacological treatment due to the anti-inflammatory properties.

To evaluate potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of inflammatory

disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, authors such as Gupta et al (2009) selected

one hundred patients, which divided them into two groups with n=50. The inclusion

criteria was patients with rheumatoid arthritis, aged from 49 years to up and also

used random allocation procedure during 3 mouths (Gupta et al., 2009).

Calder (2006) demonstrated that diclofenac and naproxen are supplementation to

omega-3 fatty acids. A review that involve effect of fish oil in rheumatoid arthritis

show that more than twelve patients used omega-3 fatty acids and experienced the

potential infect of it on reducing their symptoms and the number of tender joints.

Another review conducted by Calder (2006) on omega-3 polyunsatureted fatty acids

inflammatory disease, revealed that omega-3 fatty acids reduce LTB4 production by

neutrophils and monocytes which reduce IL-1 production by monocytes and

decrease plasma IL-1B concentration. The trial implemented to animal models

demonstrated some benefit of fish oil such as reduction of morning stiffness and

number of tender or swollen joints, reduced time fatigue, increased grip strength and

decreased use of no steroidal anti inflammatory drugs. It is relevant to know that

arachidonic acid may contribute to inflammatory processes by acting as a precursor

to eicosanoids known to have a role in rheumatoid arthritis (calder, 2006).

Lack of attention to patient who use over dose of NSAIDs and omega-3 fatty acids

in treatment of inflammatory diseases can cause several complications to health

such as hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart feature and e

dame, renal problems, skin reactions and central nervous effects by reducing
endothelial cell synthesis of prostacyclin (Fosslien, 2005). Every time that people

consume, fish oil automatically they are introducing omega-3 fatty acids in the body.

It is relevant to understand that fish oil, algae, krill and plants are source of omega-3

fatty acids (Deckelbaum and Torrejon, 2012). Professionals of health must give

attention to patient who are using NSAIDs and omega-3 fatty acid as a treatment in

rheumatoid arthritis (Rodriguez and Garlick, 2008).Therefore study involved on

omega-3 fatty acid supplements in rheumatoid arthritis, demonstrated that omega-3

fatty acid decrease in the number of tender joints and a significant shortening in the

duration of morning stiffness among patients supplemented with fish oils. This is

one of the strong evidence that omega-3 fatty acids players a potential role in

treatment of inflammatory disease because alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid

arthritis.

Incorporation of omega-3 fatty acids modifies inflammatory and immune reactions

that making omega-3 fatty acids potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory and

autoimmune disease (Guttman et al.,2005).

A review involved on omega-3 fatty acids in inflammatory and autoimmune disease,

indicates that omega-3 fatty acids plays a potential role in inflammatory disease

such as rheumatoid arthritis by reducing the severity of diffuse proliferative

glomerulonephritis. The same review showed that DHA is more effective compared

to EPA and to have a synergistic is necessary combination of two omega-3 fatty

acids (Simopoulos, 2002). Therefore review demonstrated that a pilot study that

involved 17 patients with problems of rheumatoid arthritis, who consumed 1.8 g of

EPA and 0.9 g of DHA/day. The review it was a double blind controlled randomized

trial with 3 months of duration. The follow up evaluation was made one to two

months after diets and supplements were discontinued (Simopoulos 2002).

Schechter et al (2004) argued that asthma is identified as a chronic inflammatory

disorder of the airways leading to airways hyper responsiveness and associated

symptoms such as wheezing coughing and others.

A review that involved on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation and

inflammatory disease demonstrate that arachidonic acid derived eicosaors of

asthmatic broncnoid such as PGD2, LTD4 and LTE4 are produced by the cells that

mediate pulmonary inflammation in asthma (Calder, 2006).

Calder (2006) argue that eicosanoides in asthma has prompted a series and a series

of studies attempting to modify the disease with fish oil treatment. There are

evidences that omega-3 fatty acids in asthma decrease 4-series LT production and

leukocyte chemo taxis (Calder, 2006). Seki et al (2009) confirm that cells are major

mediators of asthmatic broach.

Omega-3 fatty acids plays potential role in regulating the development of the T

which helper type 2 pheno type of T lymphocytes that predisposes to allergic

inflammation and promotes the formation of immunoglobulin E by B lymphocytes

(Mickleborugh et al., 2004).

Mickleborugh et al (2004) on omega-3 fatty acids and airway hyper responsiveness

in asthma demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids in treatment of asthma reduce the

public health burden of disease. The same study shows that the role that omega-3

plays in treatment of asthma is protective to lung function to people who are

affected with asthma (Mickleborugh et al., 2004). Also omega-3 fatty acids in

treatment of asthma has showed potential role which reduce concentration in

.Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing and often unrelenting

inflammatory disease affecting the small and large bowel, which can lead to

intestinal failure (Tumer et al., 2011)

A study involved on maintenance of remission in inflammatory bowel disease using

omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil, increase apoptisis and contribute by regulating

PGE 2 and Cox 2 mucosa that reduce inflammation (Tumer et al., 2011).

A study carried by Katz et al (2012) on hepatocytegrowth factor and omega-3

enriched feeds have a synergistic effect on mucosal mass in an animal model of

inflammatory bowel disease, showed that eicosanoids derived from omega-3

polyunsaturated fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties which play a role of

antiangiogenic which increase apoptosis and down regulate PGE-2 and COX-2

mucosa which reduce inflammation and also plays a protective role that against

crohn’s disease. Another study conducted by Katz et al (2013) on gene alterations

and intestinal mucosal changes following growth factors and omega-3 exposure in a

rat model of inflammatory bowel disease, indicate that ulcerative colitis and crohn

disease are the two primary disease processes associated with inflammatory bowel

disease

Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammatory disease such as bowel disease play a potential

role on protecting mucosa which avoids inflammations (Calder, 2006).

Review carried by Calder (2006) indicates that omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated

into gut mucosal tissue of patient with inflammatory bowel disease who
supplements their diet with fish oil. The same review showed that omega-3 fatty

acids decrease LTB4 production by neutrophils and colonic mucosa decrease PGE2

and thromboxame B2 production by colonic mucosa. The result of review indicated

that fish oil improved gut mucosal histology and sigmoidoscpic score.

Conclusion

After looking into potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in treatment of inflammatory

disease, the essay conclude that omega-3 fatty acids reduce symptoms and the

number of tender joints to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (Gupta et al. 2009). Also

daily supplementation of fish oil can be as an NSAID sparing agent in patient with

rheumatoid arthritis (Gupta et al., 2009). A review demonstrated that increase of

omega-3 fatty acids reduces the inflammatory mediators of rheumatoid arthritis and

consequently allows some sick people to reduce use of NSAIDs.

Omega-3 fatty acids in asthma decrease 4-series LT production and leukocyte

chemotaxis (Calder, 2006). Omega-3 fatty acid in treatment of inflammatory bowel

disease plays a great role on regulating PGE-2 and Cox-2 mucosa that reduce

inflammation (Tumer et al., 2011). Lack of attention to patient who use over dose of

NSAIDs and omega-3 fatty acids in treatment of inflammatory diseases can cause

several complications to health such as hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction,

congestive heart feature and e dame, renal problems, skin reactions and central

nervous effects by reducing endothelial cell synthesis of prostacyclin (Fosslien,

2005).
ggg

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