Effects of an essential fatty acid-supplemented diet on leukotriene B₄-induced rat neutrophil functions

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of dietary supplementation with the essential fatty acid linoleic acid to 10% of the energy content of a diet on the stimulus-response coupling of rat peritoneal neutrophils. When stimulated with leukotriene B₄ neutrophils from essential fatty acid supplemented rats responded with a significantly more pronounced oxidative metabolism (assessed as luminolaugmented chemiluminescence) relative to control cells from rats on a normal 3% of total energy essential fatty acid diet. Chemiluminescence response to the formylpeptide N-formyl-norleucyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-norleucyl-thyrosyl-leucine was similarly enhanced. In contrast, responses elicited by the lectin concanavalin A did not differ between the two dietary groups. In response to leukotriene B₄ a dose-related inhibition of neutrophil aggregation was observed, whereas chemotaxis did not differ between the two groups. Thus, linoleate supplementation is associated with a stimulus-specific modulation of neutrophil oxidative and aggregatory responses suggesting an effect on early, conceivably receptor-linked, steps of the stimulus-response coupling.

Key Words:

• aggregation
• chemiluminescence
• chemotaxis
• dietary linoleate supplementation
• neutrophil
• oxidative metabolism