ABSTRACT To investigate whether early‐life docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) consumption mitigated the effects of a high‐fat diet (HFD) on body composition, endocrine hormones, immune function, inflammatory biomarkers, and identify sex differences. Wistar rats were fed (PND 0–70) diets differing only in fat composition: control low‐fat (10% fat, 0% arachidonic acid ARA, 0% DHA), control high‐fat (HF, 20% fat, 0% ARA, 0% DHA), or DHA HF (20% fat, 1% ARA, 2% DHA) ( n = 16/group, males/females = 8/8). Plasma hormones (ELISA), inflammatory biomarkers (electrochemiluminescence), splenocytes phenotype (immunofluorescence), and ex vivo cytokine production (ELISA) after mitogen stimulation were measured. HFD did not alter body weight/composition or inflammatory profile but increased plasma glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1, males, p = 0.02). In the spleen, HFD lowered transforming growth factor‐beta (TGF‐β) and increased interleukin (IL)‐10 (females) and IL‐2 production ( p < 0.03). It also lowered % of regulatory T cells (Treg), B cells (males), conventional type 1dendritic cells (cDC1), and MHC‐II and CD86 expression (males) ( p < 0.03). DHA mitigated HFD‐related changes in plasma GLP‐1 (males) andTGF‐β, IL‐10 (females), and IL‐2 production ( p ≤ 0.03) and increased % of B cells (males), cDC1, MHC‐II, and CD86 expression (males) ( p < 0.03). DHA mitigated HFD‐induced impaired Treg response and compromised adaptive immunity and antigen‐presenting function in a sex‐specific manner.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.