The roles of eicosanoids in experimental glomerulonephritis

There is accumulating evidence showing alterations of renal eicosanoid synthesis in glomerular disease. Despite the complexity of their role in glomerulonephritis, these compounds appear to play a major part in the inflammatory response and in control of renal hemodynamics. The role of eicosanoids in the filtration of macromolecules has not been established, but there is indirect evidence of their involvement in mediating proteinuria. Dietary manipulation, either by high EPA, high linoleic acid, or EFA-deficient diet, in experimental glomerulonephritis have shown promising results as summarized in Table 1. The therapeutic potential of alterations in dietary fatty acid to modulate the inflammatory response appears to be of great value. Table 2 summarizes the effects of different dietary fatty acid alterations on eicosanoid synthesis. Nonetheless, we should point out that most of the studies of alterations in dietary fatty acids did not document changes in glomerular synthesis of prostaglandin, thromboxane, or HETES. Further studies examining the effects of different fatty acid regimens on glomerular eicosanoid synthesis and the role of these eicosanoids in the development of glomerulonephritis will provide valuable information. These findings could determine the specific type of dietary manipulation to inhibit or stimulate the production of selected eicosanoids.