Effects of Dietary n-3 Fatty Acids on Mucin Production in Mice with Lung Infections
Author Information
Author(s): Tetaert Daniel, Pierre Maud, Demeyer Dominique, Husson Marie-Odile, Béghin Laurent, Galabert Claude, Gottrand Frédéric, Beermann Christopher, Guery Benoit, Desseyn Jean-Luc
Primary Institution: INSERM, U837, JPARC Research Centre, University of Lille, France
Hypothesis
Dietary n-3 PUFAs may downregulate mucins expression in mice infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Conclusion
An n-3 PUFAs enriched diet may help prevent or treat excessive mucin production in lung infections.
Supporting Evidence
- Dietary n-3 PUFAs suppressed mucin expression in infected mice.
- Mice fed n-3 PUFAs had lower levels of Muc5b compared to control groups.
- The study used a reliable absolute PCR quantification method for mucin expression.
Takeaway
Feeding mice a special diet with fish oil can help reduce the amount of mucus they produce when they get sick.
Methodology
Mice were fed diets enriched with n-3 or n-6 PUFAs for 5 weeks before being infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and mucin expression was measured using real-time PCR.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the variability in the inoculation procedure and the small sample size for some groups.
Limitations
The model of infection does not perfectly mimic chronic lung infection, and some mice died before the end of the study.
Participant Demographics
Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.005
Statistical Significance
p<0.005
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website