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Intravenous fish oil blunts the physiological response to endotoxin in healthy subjects

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An Erratum to this article was published on 12 June 2007

Abstract

Objective

To assess the effects of intravenous fish oil fat emulsion on the metabolic alterations induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge in healthy volunteers.

Design

Two groups of eight healthy subjects were randomized to receive either two pharmacological doses of intravenous FO fat emulsion or no treatment. The FO group received twice 0.5 g/kg 10% emulsion (Omegaven) 48 and 24 h before investigation. LPS (2 ng/kg) was injected as a bolus on the investigation day. Systemic parameters, indirect calorimetry, heart rate variability, and platelet membrane phospholipid composition were measured.

Results

Basal EPA and DHA content in platelet phospholipids was low (0.28% and 2.54%, respectively) and increased significantly after FO to 1.68% and 3.32%. LPS induced reproducible effects in all subjects. Fever was higher in the FO group than in controls; the difference was significant from t 120 until t 360. FO blunted the neuroendocrine response: the rise in plasma norepinephrine was sevenfold lower at t 120 while the ACTH peak was fourfold lower. Tumor necrosis factor α was significantly lower between t 360 and t 180 in the FO group.

Conclusions

Two doses of intravenous FO fat emulsion modified the phospholipid composition of platelets in healthy subjects. FO blunted fever and increased the neuroendocrine and the inflammatory responses to LPS.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mrs. Marie-Christine Cayeux (RN) and Mrs. Ludivine Soguel Alexander (RD) for their help, Mrs. A. Dufour and A. Chwalik (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium) for fatty acid analyses in platelet membranes, Ing. Paolo Castiglioni (PhD.) for helpful discussions, and Mr. P. Frascarolo (PhD.) for help with statistical outwork. The present study was performed with the support of the Swiss Fond National de Recherche, grant no. 3200B0-102064. Experimental emulsions were kindly provided by Fresenius Kabi AG (Bad Homburg, Germany).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Medicine, CHUV, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Thomas-Thi Pluess, Mette M. Berger, Jean-Pierre Revelly, Burkhard Michaeli & René L. Chioléro

  2. Division of Hypertension and Vascular Medicine, CHUV, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Daniel Hayoz

  3. Institute of Human Physiology, University of Lausanne, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Luc Tappy

  4. Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Yvon A. Carpentier

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  1. Thomas-Thi Pluess
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  2. Daniel Hayoz
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  3. Mette M. Berger
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  4. Luc Tappy
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  6. Burkhard Michaeli
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  7. Yvon A. Carpentier
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  8. René L. Chioléro
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Correspondence to René L. Chioléro.

Additional information

A correction to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00134-007-0733-9

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Pluess, TT., Hayoz, D., Berger, M.M. et al. Intravenous fish oil blunts the physiological response to endotoxin in healthy subjects. Intensive Care Med 33, 789–797 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-007-0591-5

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