Effects of dietary fatty acids on burn-induced immunosuppression

Previous studies from our laboratory established that low-fat diets prevent immunosuppression and reduce oxidative stress after a thermal injury. The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the type of dietary fatty acid influences splenocyte proliferation and oxidative stress following a burn injury. Female C3H/HeN mice were fed ad libitum six experimental diets (5% w/w lipids) differing in fatty acid composition for 10 days following a burn injury. Compared to the controls, burned mice fed whichever diet showed lower lymphoproliferative responses to concanavalin-A (Con-A) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (p<0.01), but not to an anti-T cell receptor monoclonal antibody (H-57). In burned animals, nitric oxide (NO) concentration was negatively correlated to the proliferation induced by Con-A (p<0.01) or LPS (p<0.05). These results suggest that: (1) dietary fatty acid type does not influence the splenocyte proliferation or oxidative stress and (2) NO production is involved in the immunosuppression following burn injury.