Antiadhesion effects of docosahexaenoic acid on normal human peritoneal and adhesion fibroblasts
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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Dynamic Adhesion Assay for the Functional Analysis of Anti-adhesion Therapies in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Published on: September 20, 2018
Rahi Victory1, Ghassan M Saed, Michael P Diamond
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, C.S. Mott Center, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA. rahivictory@yahoo.com
Objective:
To determine whether docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) reduces adhesion marker mRNA levels in normal peritoneal and adhesion fibroblasts.
Design:
Prospective experimental study.
Setting:
University Medical Center.
Patient(S):
Three patients undergoing laparotomy with excision of adhesions and normal peritoneum.
Intervention(S):
DHA treatment (100 muM) of cell cultures for 24 hours.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) quantification of relative changes (mRNA copies/mug mRNA) in mRNA levels of type I collagen, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1).
Result(S):
The DHA treatment significantly reduced type I collagen and VEGF, but not TGF-beta1 mRNA levels in normal peritoneal fibroblasts compared to normal controls. The DHA treatment of adhesion fibroblasts reduced type I collagen mRNAs to those of normal peritoneal fibroblasts, decreasing mRNAs by 35% compared to untreated adhesion fibroblasts. The VEGF mRNA levels were 50% lower in DHA-treated adhesion fibroblasts versus untreated adhesion fibroblasts. Docasahexaenoic acid reduced TGF- beta1 mRNA to normal levels in treated adhesion fibroblasts compared to untreated normal peritoneal fibroblasts.
Conclusion(S):
Docasahexaenoic acid substantially reduces levels of adhesion-related markers in normal peritoneal and adhesion fibroblasts. This study provides the molecular basis for an easily administered and potentially, highly efficacious, antiadhesion adjuvant.
