Serum Omega 6 Fatty Acids and Immunology-Related Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells: A Cross-Sectional Analysis in Healthy Children.

SCOPE: Some studies suggest that a high dietary intake of omega 6 fatty acids is pro-inflammatory. However, whether omega 6 fatty acids actually cause pathogenic inflammation in humans is debated. Therefore, we investigated the associations between expression of immunology-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum total omega 6 PUFA status.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured serum fatty acid profile and expression of 460 immunology-related genes in PBMCs from 58 healthy children (6-13 years), and examined the expression differences between children with high or low total omega 6 PUFA status (upper versus lower tertile). Taken together, both univariate analyses and integrated omics analyses support that while high omega 6 PUFA level associated with higher expressing of genes related to innate immune responses, it also associated with lower expression of several genes related to adaptive immune responses.

CONCLUSION: Omega 6 PUFA status associated both positively and negatively with expression of specific immunology-related genes in PBMCs in healthy children. Our results may suggest a nuanced role for omega 6 fatty acids in the interphase of lipids and inflammation, which warrants further examination in gene-environment studies and randomized controlled trials. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.