The effects of omega-3 fatty acid diet enrichment on wound healing

Omega-3 fatty acids were evaluated to determine how their anti-inflammatory properties affect wound healing. Twelve Beagle dogs were divided into two groups of six. Group I was fed an n-3 fatty acid enriched diet (n-3 FAED) with an n-6 to n-3 fatty acid ratio of 0.3, and group II was fed a control diet (CD) with a ratio of 7.7. Open and sutured cutaneous wounds were created on the trunk of the dog, and evaluated by laser Doppler perfusion imaging, tensiometry, planimetry, histopathology, and eicosanoid content. At 5 days, the n-3 FAED-fed dogs had significantly less epithelialization of the open wounds (P = 0.0343) and significantly less oedema in sutured wounds (P = 0.015). There were also tendencies of less tissue perfusion (P = 0.086), lower PGE₂ levels (P = 0.0756) and negative wound contraction in open wounds at 5 days. The n-3 FAED used in this study did not appear to have any outstanding long-term negative effect on wound healing.