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Updated: Mar 23, 2026

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Published on: April 11, 2018
Fish oil attenuates persistent inflammatory pain in rats through modulation of TNF-α and resolvins
Bianca W P Lobo1, Cleverton Kleiton F Lima2, Monique S Teixeira3
1LabEnzInd; Departamento de Fármacos e Medicamentos, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro RJ 21941-902, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (PPGCF), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
Unlabelled:
Fish oil (FO), source of omega-3 fatty acids (FA), has been widely studied in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and inflammatory pain (IP). Omega-3 FA give rise to eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, metabolized to eicosanoids and converted to resolvins with important anti-inflammatory action.
Aims:
This study investigates the effects of oral doses of omega-3 FA from FO and concentrated fish oil (CFO) in a model of sub-chronic IP, induced by Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA).
Main Methods:
IP was induced by intraplantar injection of CFA into the right hind paw of Wistar rats. Three groups were pre-treated with omega-3 FA: two groups received CFO (460mg of EPA/360mg of DHA and 690mg of EPA/540mg of DHA) and one group received natural FO (460mg EPA/300mg DHA), for 7days before IP induction (pre-treatment) and 5days after induction (treatment).
Key Findings:
TNF-α levels were reduced by CFO 690 (67.9%; p<0.01), CFO 460 (57.7%; p<0.01), FO 460 (26.2%), compared to the augment promoted by CFA (549.7%; p<0.001). Resolvin levels were increased in treated groups with respect to the CFA control group (CFO 690=3196.3%, p<0.01; CFO 460=3347.1%, p<0.01; FO=1653.5%).
Significance:
The results indicate that the tested doses reduced inflammatory pain effectively in a short pre-treatment period, through modulation of TNF-α and resolvins and that CFO presented better results than FO. Therefore, Ω-3 FA from FO can be proposed for use as complementary medicine in the treatment of painful and inflammatory diseases.
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