Feeding Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid during Suckling and Weaning Contributes to Oral Tolerance Development by Beneficially Modulating the Intestinal Cytokine and Immunoglobulin Levels in an Allergy-Prone Brown Norway Rat Model.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore the impact of ARA + DHA supplementation on intestinal fatty acid composition, structure, and immune indicators supportive of oral tolerance development in allergy-prone rats.
Results Summary
Weaning ARA + DHA increased DHA in ileum phospholipids and triglycerides, while suckling ARA + DHA elevated mucosal IL-2, sIgA, and TGF-β levels, suggesting a tolerogenic intestinal environment. OVA treatment reduced mucosal IL-6, and dietary ARA + DHA enhanced TGF-β post-OVA.
Population
Allergy-prone Brown Norway rat offspring.
Effective Dosage
Suckling (0.45% ARA, 0.8% DHA); weaning (0.5% ARA, 0.5% DHA).
Duration
Suckling (0-3 weeks), weaning (3-8 weeks).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
weaning ARA + DHA diet | increase | DHA in ileum phospholipids | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | resulted in a higher percentage | #1 |
weaning ARA + DHA diet | increase | DHA in ileum triglycerides | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | resulted in a higher percentage | #2 |
weaning ARA + DHA diet | no change | ARA in ileum phospholipids and triglycerides | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | without affecting the percentage | #3 |
suckling ARA + DHA diet | no change | DHA content in ileum phospholipids | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | no lasting effect | #4 |
suckling ARA + DHA diet | increase | allergy-related intestinal immune profile | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | a programming effect was found on | #5 |
suckling ARA + DHA diet | increase | mucosal IL-2 | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | higher concentrations | #6 |
suckling ARA + DHA diet | increase | mucosal sIgA | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | higher concentrations | #7 |
OVA treatment | decrease | mucosal IL-6 | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | resulted in a lower concentration | #8 |
ARA + DHA during suckling and/or weaning | increase | mucosal transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) after OVA treatment | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | had a higher concentration | #9 |
control diets during suckling and weaning | no change | mucosal transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) after OVA treatment | offspring of allergy-prone Brown Norway dams | - | this was not observed | #10 |
Early life dietary ARA + DHA supplementation | increase | DHA concentration in intestinal phospholipids | allergy-prone rats | - | enhanced | #11 |
Early life dietary ARA + DHA supplementation | increase | mucosal sIgA levels | allergy-prone rats | - | increased | #12 |
Early life dietary ARA + DHA supplementation | increase | mucosal IL-2 levels | allergy-prone rats | - | increased | #13 |
Early life dietary ARA + DHA supplementation | increase | mucosal TGF-β levels | allergy-prone rats | - | increased | #14 |
BACKGROUND: Suckling and weaning arachidonic acid (ARA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation promoted oral tolerance (OT) development in pups, however, the effect of it on the intestine to promote OT development remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the impact of this supplementation on intestinal fatty acid composition, structure, and indicators that are supportive of OT development. METHODS: Allergy-prone Brown Norway dams were randomly assigned to a control (0% ARA, 0% DHA) or ARA + DHA diet (0.45% ARA, 0.8% DHA) during suckling (0-3 wk). At weaning (3-8 wk), offspring were randomly assigned to a control (0% ARA, 0% DHA) or ARA + DHA diet (0.5% ARA, 0.5% DHA). At 3 wk, offspring in each group received an oral gavage of sucrose or ovalbumin (OVA) solution for five consecutive days. At 7 wk, all offspring received an intraperitoneal OVA injection. At 8 wk, offspring were terminated to evaluate jejunum morphology and measure mucosal food allergy-related secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and cytokines, ileum phospholipid and triglyceride fatty acid compositions, and fecal calprotectin. RESULTS: Weaning ARA + DHA resulted in a higher percentage of DHA in ileum phospholipids and triglycerides (both P < 0.001), without affecting the percentage of ARA. Despite no lasting effect of suckling ARA + DHA on the DHA content in ileum phospholipids, a programming effect was found on the allergy-related intestinal immune profile [higher concentrations of mucosal IL-2 (P = 0.049) and sIgA (P = 0.033)]. OVA treatment resulted in a lower concentration of mucosal IL-6 (P = 0.026) regardless of dietary interventions. Offspring fed ARA + DHA during suckling and/or weaning had a higher concentration of mucosal transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) after OVA treatment but this was not observed in offspring fed control diets during suckling and weaning (P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Early life dietary ARA + DHA supplementation to allergy-prone rats enhanced the DHA concentration in intestinal phospholipids (weaning period) and increased the mucosal sIgA, IL-2, and TGF-β levels (suckling and weaning period), indicating its ability to create a tolerogenic intestinal environment to support OT development.