Effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the inflammatory response and nerve damage in severe traumatic brain injury patients / 中华临床营养杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) on inflammatory response,nerve damage,and outcomes in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI).Methods Altogether 120 sTBI patients were selected from January 2013 to September 2014 in Jinjiang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and divided with a random number table into experimental group (with ω-3 PUFA supplementation,n =60) and control group (without ω-3 PUFA supplementation,n =60).Sixty blood samples from healthy people visiting the physical examination clinic were collected as normal controls.The serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),interleukin (IL)-1,IL-6,S100B and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score,Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱ score and outcomes of the two groups were compared.Results The serum levels ofTNF-α,IL-1,IL-6,S100B,and NSE protein significantly increased in patients with sTBI compared with the normal controls (all P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the control group,the serum levels of inflammatory related factors (TNF-α,IL-1,IL-6) in the experimental group were significantly decreased on the 3rd day [(213.81 ±29.33) μg/L vs.(267.76 ±31.35) μg/L,(121.81 ± 10.63) μg/L vs.(152.60 ± 11.45) μg/L,(81.89 ± 8.34) μg/L vs.(106.62 ± 10.35) μg/L,all P ＜ 0.05],S100B and NSE protein expressions were significantly decreased on the 7th day [(1.32 ± 0.09) μg/L vs.(1.67 ± 0.12) μg/L,(12.57 ± 1.53) μg/L vs.(17.57 ±2.30) μg/L,both P ＜0.05].Compresd with the control group,the experimental group showed significantly higher GCS scores (9.32 ± 1.64 vs.7.14 ± 1.30,P =0.02) and significantly lower APACHE Ⅱ scores (14.37 ± 2.27 vs.17.00 ± 1.85,P =0.04) on the 14th day.Compresd with the control group,the experimental group showed lower mortality during the follow-up [11.7％ (7/60) vs.15.0％ (9/60)],but with no significant differences (P =0.49).Conclusion Supplementation of ω-3 PUFA could exert neuroprotective effect by effectively regulating inflammatory response and reducing the damages to glia and neurons in patients with sTBI,which is a promising agent for clinical application.