Efficacy of fish oil on serum of TNF α , IL-1 ß , and IL-6 oxidative stress markers in multiple sclerosis treated with interferon beta-1b.

UNLABELLED: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease, which leads to focal plaques of demyelination and tissue injury in the central nervous system. Oxidative stress is also thought to promote tissue damage in multiple sclerosis. Current research findings suggest that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapenta-enoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) contained in fish oil may have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the efficacy of fish oil supplementation on serum proinflammatory cytokine levels, oxidative stress markers, and disease progression in MS. 50 patients with relapsing-remitting MS were enrolled. The experimental group received orally 4 g/day of fish oil for 12 months. The primary outcome was serum TNF α levels; secondary outcomes were IL-1 ß 1b, IL-6, nitric oxide catabolites, lipoperoxides, progression on the expanded disability status scale (EDSS), and annualized relapses rate (ARR). Fish oil treatment decreased the serum levels of TNF α , IL-1 ß , IL-6, and nitric oxide metabolites compared with placebo group (P ≤ 0.001). There was no significant difference in serum lipoperoxide levels during the study. No differences in EDSS and ARR were found. CONCLUSION: Fish oil supplementation is highly effective in reducing the levels of cytokines and nitric oxide catabolites in patients with relapsing-remitting MS.

Erythropoietin pharmacology.

Anaemia is a frequent complication in cancer patients and may be multifactorial in origin. Treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) is an alternative to red blood cell transfusion. The evidence from clinical trials has established that patients with chemotherapy-induced anaemia with a haemoglobin concentration below 10 g/dl benefit from epoetin therapy. The native glycoprotein hormone consists of 165 amino acids with three N-glycosylation and one O-glycosylation sites. Epoetin and darbepoetin bind to the EPO receptor to induce intracellular signalling by the same intracellular molecules as native EPO. There are some differences in the glycosylation pattern which lead to variations in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profiles. Pharmacokinetic and therapeutic studies have examined the use of rHuEPO administered intravenously and subcutaneously and there is accumulating evidence that the latter route has several advantages in cancer patients. After subcutaneous administration, the bioavailability of epoetin is about 20-30% and has a plasma half-life of >24 h. Darbepoetin has a longer half-life after subcutaneous administration of 48 h. The general recommendations are based on evidence from trials in which epoetin was administered 150 U/kg thrice weekly. The recommended initial dose for darbepoetin alpha is 2.25 mug/kg per week. The most serious adverse effects are hypertension, bleeding and increased risk of thrombotic complications. Caution is advised when used in patients who are at high risk for thromboembolic events. In the management of anaemic cancer patients, physicians should closely follow the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/American Society of Hematology (ASH) guidelines.