Plasma Levels of Marine n-3 Fatty Acids Are Inversely Correlated With Proinflammatory Markers sTNFR1 and IL-6 in Renal Transplant Recipients

Objective Marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) exert potential anti-inflammatory effects and might improve long-term outcomes after renal transplantation. We assessed associations between plasma phospholipid levels of marine n-3 PUFAs and plasma inflammatory biomarkers 10 weeks after renal transplantation. Design Cross-sectional single-center study. Subjects A study population of 861 renal transplant recipients transplanted at Oslo University Hospital between 2007 and 2011. Methods and Main Outcome Measure Plasma phospholipid fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography. Marine n-3 PUFA levels were defined as the sum of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and docosapentaenoic acid levels in weight percentage of total plasma phospholipid fatty acids. Plasma inflammatory biomarkers were measured by enzyme immunoassays. We used multivariable linear regression analysis to assess associations between levels of marine n-3 PUFAs and inflammatory biomarkers in plasma. Results Plasma marine n-3 PUFA levels were inversely associated with plasma levels of proinflammatory biomarkers soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (standardized regression coefficient −0.11, P P  = .01). In contrast, there was no association between plasma levels of marine n-3 PUFAs and the anti-inflammatory mediator interleukin-10. Conclusions In this renal transplant cohort, inverse associations between plasma levels of marine n-3 PUFAs and markers of inflammation were demonstrated.