Dietary omega-3 fatty acids decrease mortality and kupffer cell prostaglandin E₂ production in a rat model of chronic sepsis

We tested the hypothesis that substitution of ω-3 fat for dietary ω-6 fat would reduce mortality and decrease Kupffer cell prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) production in a rat model of chronic sepsis. Rats were fed via gastrostomy for 12 days with isonitrogenous, isocaloric diets containing 15% of calories as either safflower oil (ω-6) or a 10:1 mixture of menhaden oil (ω-3) and safflower oil. After five days of feeding, animals received an intra-abdominal abscess of defined bacterial content. Survivors were killed on post-laparotomy day 6 in conjunction with liver perfusion and protease liver digestion for Kupffer cell isolation. Kupffer cell PGE₂ production was measured by radioimmunoassay after 18 hours of cell culture and again after stimulation with 0 LPS, 10 ng/ml LPS, and 10 µg/LPS. Mortality was decreased in menhaden oil-fed animals compared with safflower oil-fed animals (16% vs. 35%). Kupffer cell PGE₂ production was decreased in menhaden oil-fed animals at 18 hours (354 ± 54 vs. 570 ± 95 pg/0.1 ml; p = 0.09) and after stimulation with 10 µg/ml LPS (140 ± 41 vs. 288 ± 45 pg/0.1 ml; p = 0.03) compared with safflower oil-fed animals.