Unsaturated long-chain fatty acids induce the respiratory burst of human neutrophils and monocytes in whole blood

Background It is increasingly recognized that infectious complications in patients treated with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) may be caused by altered immune responses. Neutrophils and monocytes are the first line of defence against bacterial and fungal infection through superoxide anion production during the respiratory burst. To characterize the impact of three different types of lipid solutions that are applied as part of TPN formulations, we investigated the unstimulated respiratory burst activation of neutrophils and monocytes in whole blood.