Re: Fish Oil

[Guest guest]

Hi Tina;

Here's a list of reasons why our son is on fish oils (he takes

Carlson's Super Omega-3):

1. Prevents bile-duct injury in a mouse model of PSC.

Blanco PG, Zaman MM, Junaidi O, Sheth S, Yantiss RK, Nasser IA,

Freedman SD 2004 Induction of colitis in cftr-/- mice results in bile

duct injury. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 287: G491-

G496.

2. May protect against colon cancer.

Chapkin RS, son LA, Ly L, Weeks BR, Lupton JR, McMurray DN 2007

Immunomodulatory effects of (n-3) fatty acids: putative link to

inflammation and colon cancer. J. Nutr. 137: 200S-204S.

3. May protect against colitis.

Arita M, Yoshida M, Hong S, Tjonahen E, Glickman JN, Petasis NA,

Blumberg RS, Serhan CN 2005 Resolvin E1, an endogenous lipid mediator

derived from omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid, protects against 2,4,6-

trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.

U.S.A. 102: 7671-7676.

Whiting CV, Bland PW, Tarlton JF 2005 Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated

fatty acids reduce disease and colonic proinflammatory cytokines in a

mouse model of colitis. Inflamm. Bowel Dis. 11: 340-349.

Wild GE, Drozdowski L, Tartaglia C, Clandinin MT, Thomson AB 2007

Nutritional modulation of the inflammatory response in inflammatory

bowel disease - from the molecular to the integrative to the

clinical. World J. Gastroenterol. 13: 1-7.

4. Thought to be natural inhibitors of inflammation and autoimmune

diseases.

Simopoulos AP 2002 Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune

diseases. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 21: 495-505.

Calder PC 2005 Polyunsaturated fatty acids and inflammation. Biochem.

Soc. Trans. 33: 423-427.

________________________

As far as I know, there is no published data on effects of fish oils

on LFTs in PSC patients, but there is beginning to be interest in

using fish oils in PBC (see comments in this abstract):

J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. [in press] (2007)

Protective effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on primary

culture of rat hepatocytes.

Sohma R, Takahashi M, Takada H, Takada H, Kuwayama H

Abstract

Background and Aim: Recently, we reported on the beneficial clinical

effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in patients with primary

biliary cirrhosis (PBC) who were unresponsive to ursodeoxycholic acid

(UDCA). In this study we examined the effect of EPA on rat

hepatocytes in primary culture.

Methods: Hepatocytes were isolated from rat liver by perfusion of

collagenase and cultured with or without EPA. Cell damage induced by

chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) was assessed by WST-8 assay and lactate

dehydrogenase (LDH) release. PGE2 and LTB4 concentrations in the

culture medium were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

(ELISA). cDNA was made from total RNA that was extracted from

hepatocytes, and TaqMan polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed

to assess the expression of CuZn and Mn superoxide dismutase (SOD)

mRNA.

Results: When rat hepatocytes were cultured in the presence of EPA,

the damage caused by CDCA was significantly decreased compared with

cells cultured without EPA. Cytotoxicity significantly decreased in

the presence of EPA. Furthermore, SOD mRNA expression was increased

by adding EPA. These findings indicated that EPA protects cells by

scavenging superoxide radicals (*O2-) mediated by SOD production.

Conclusion: EPA has a direct protective effect on rat hepatocytes,

which is in agreement with the clinical efficacy of EPA in PBC

patients.

________________________

While a lot of these studies are in animal models, this is all we

have to go on.

Dave

(father of (21); PSC 07/03; UC 08/03)

>

> My husband and I take fish oil for cholestrol. It helps lower

trigicerides. What does it do for LFT's? I haven't heard taking it

for that. Thanks Tina