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The effect of fatty or lean fish intake on inflammatory gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with coronary heart disease

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Abstract

Background

Little is known about the effect of fish consumption on gene expression of inflammation-related genes in immune cells in coronary heart disease (CHD).

Aim of the study

We sought to evaluate the effect of a fatty fish (FF) or a lean fish (LF) diet on the modulation of inflammatory and endothelial function-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of subjects with CHD, and its association with serum fatty acid (FA) profile and lipid metabolic compounds.

Methods

Data from 27 patients randomized into an 8-week FF (n = 10; mean ± SD: 4.3 ± 0.4 portions of fish per week), LF (n = 11; 4.7 ± 1.1 portions of fish per week), or control diet (n = 6; 0.6 ± 0.4 portions of fish per week) were analyzed. The mRNA expression was measured using real-time PCR.

Results

The effect of the intervention on the mRNA expression of the genes studied did not differ among groups. In the FF group, however, the decrease in arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid (AA:EPA) ratio in cholesterol ester and phospholipid fractions strongly correlated with the change in IL1B mRNA levels (r s = 0.60, P = 0.06 and r s = 0.86, P = 0.002, respectively). In the LF group, the decrease in palmitic acid and total saturated FAs in cholesterol esters correlated with the change in intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM1) expression (r s = 0.64, P = 0.04 for both). Circulating levels of soluble ICAM-1 decreased only in the LF group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The intake of FF or LF diet did not alter the expression of inflammatory and endothelial function-related genes in PBMCs of patients with CHD. However, the decrease in AA:EPA ratio in serum lipids in the FF group may induce an anti-inflammatory response at mRNA levels in PBMCs. A LF diet might benefit endothelial function, possibly mediated by the changes in serum FA composition.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by The Finnish Cultural Foundation, North-Savo Regional Fund of The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Juho Vainio Foundation, the Kuopio University Hospital (grant number 510RA07), the Academy of Finland (Project numbers 117844 and 118590), and by the Nordic Centre of Excellence on “Systems biology in controlled dietary interventions and cohort studies” (SYSDIET), Project number 070014.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Nutrition/Food and Health Research Centre, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Vanessa D. F. de Mello, Ursula S. Schwab, Leena Pulkkinen, Marjukka Kolehmainen, Maria Lankinen & Matti Uusitupa

  2. Department of Public Health, School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Arja T. Erkkilä

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, P.O. Box 1777, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Ursula S. Schwab & Seppo Lehto

  4. Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Mustafa Atalay

  5. Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, P.O. Box 1777, 70211, Kuopio, Finland

    Hanna Mussalo

  6. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1000, 02044, Espoo, Finland

    Maria Lankinen & Matej Orešič

Authors
  1. Vanessa D. F. de Mello
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  2. Arja T. Erkkilä
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Correspondence to Vanessa D. F. de Mello.

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de Mello, V.D.F., Erkkilä, A.T., Schwab, U.S. et al. The effect of fatty or lean fish intake on inflammatory gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with coronary heart disease. Eur J Nutr 48, 447–455 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-009-0033-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-009-0033-y

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