Omega-3 fatty acids as coadjuvant treatment in AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is able to replicate in many human cells such as helper lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages and glial cells. Monocytes/macrophages must be considered an important reservoir of HIV in vivo and a producer of cytokines such as Interleukin-1 (IL1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). These substances lead to an autocrine feedback loop that produces an increased virus replication and a secondary induction of other cytokines such as Interleukin 6 (IL6) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). These cytokines all together may be responsible for many clinical aspects of the disease such as headache, fever, anorexia, subtle cognitive changes, motor disfunctions and cachexia. The future strategies in the treatment of AIDS must be a combination of drugs acting on different points of viral replication and with synergistic potential. Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3) can be considered a candidate for their pleiotropic effects on immunological and metabolic systems. In particular, their use is considered for their ability to decrease IL1 and TNF production by monocytes/macrophages, as demonstrated by many authors. The decreased induction of these cytokines and consequently of IL6 and acute phase proteins may have beneficial effects on many clinical manifestations of AIDS such as cachexia.