Linseed oil suppresses the anti-beta-2-glycoprotein-I in experimental antiphospholipid syndrome

The immunomodulatory potential of a diet enriched with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids was analysed in naive mice with experimental antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) induced by active immunization with H-3, a human anti-beta-2-glycoprotein-I (anti-βGPI) monoclonal antibody (mAb). Fetal loss and other clinical manifestations of APS were prevented in the group of APS mice upon exposure to the enriched n-3 diet compared to the control group. The titers of anti-βGPI were significantly lower (in O.D. at 405 nm, 1.387±0.232 in comparison to non-treated mice 0.637±0.111, P<0.05). The reduced titer of anti-βGPI antibodies in the sera of the treated mice was associated with a reduced number of anti-βGPI forming cells in cultured splenocytes (84±14, antibody-forming cells (AFC)/10⁵ cells in comparison to 37±4 AFC/10⁵ cells (P<0.02). In addition to the suppression of the humoral response in mice with experimental APS fed with linseed oil, we also observed an inhibitory effect on the cellular response. The T-cell response to anti-βGPI was lower in comparison to mice immunized with H-3 anti-βGPI mAB, which were kept on a normal diet. These results indicate that polyunsaturated fatty acids may improve clinical and laboratory parameters of APS. The beneficial effects of diets enriched with n-3 should be further examined as a potential mode of therapy for patients with APS. (C) 2000 Academic Press.