Chronic
inflammation is a major factor in a wide range of problems from arthritis to
cardiovascular disease, and DHA (found in fish oil) is known to temper this
problem.
A
new study shows that DHA seems to be a vital player in the production of
molecules called maresins, which are able to turn "off" inflammation.
Inflammation
is not all bad -- it's our bodies' natural response to infection and injury.
But when inflammation becomes chronic -- meaning our body is always mounting a
defense and won't turn off -- that's when health risks arise. Chronic
inflammation has been linked with ills ranging from cancer to diabetes to
Alzheimer's disease.
In
this study, researchers from Harvard Medical School, the University of Southern
California and the Karolinska Institutet found that a kind of white blood cell
called the macrophage converts DHA to make maresins. Maresins then are able to
prompt macrophages to turn from an inflammation-causing type to a non-inflammation-causing
type.
"We
hope that the results from this study will enable investigators to test the
relevance of the maresin pathway in human disease," said Charles N.
Serhan, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Brigham & Women's
Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass.
"Moreover,
we hope to better understand resolution biology and its potential pharmacology
so that we can enhance our ability to control unwanted inflammation and improve
the quality of life."
###
The
above story is based on the July 1,2013 news release by Federation of American Societies
for Experimental Biology(FASEB)
The
study has been published in The FASEB Journal:
Dalli
J, Zhu M, Vlasenko NA, Deng B, Haeggström JZ, Petasis NA, Serhan CN. The novel 13S,14S-epoxy-maresin is
converted by human macrophages to maresin 1 (MaR1), inhibits leukotriene A4
hydrolase (LTA4H), and shifts macrophage phenotype. FASEB J. 2013
Jul;27(7):2573-83. doi: 10.1096/fj.13-227728
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