Polyunsaturated fatty acids affect intestinal anaphylactic response in BALB/c mice sensitized with β-lactoglobulin

Abstract Objective Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have immunomodulatory proprieties and their use in the prevention and treatment of allergy symptoms is proposed as a therapeutic option. The present study investigates the effect of n-3 and n-6 PUFA on intestinal anaphylactic response in mice allergic to β-lactoglobulin (β-lg), a major allergen in cow milk proteins. Material and methods Female BALB/c mice were fed by gavage for 15 days with either fish oil (FO) (n-3 PUFA) or corn oil (CO) (n-6 PUFA) at different concentrations (0.6%, 1%, 1.5% V/W) and were then sensitized with β-lg. To study the local allergic manifestations in the intestine, electrophysiological parameters (short-current circuit, Isc, in μA/cm 2 and tissue conductance, G, in mS/cm 2 ) were measured in jejunum segments in an Ussing chamber, while morphological changes were assessed by histological analysis. Results FO at 0.6% V/W significantly decreased Isc (μA/cm 2 ) values ( P 2 ) values ( P P P P Conclusion Low-dose PUFA supplementation, especially with n-3 PUFA, considerably reduced part of the intestinal damage resulting from sensitization with β-lg in BALB/c mice.