Factors influencing the effects of dietary supplementation　with PUFAs on leukotriene generation by leucocytes in　patients with asthma

Dietary supplementation with perilla seed oil, a vegetable oil rich in α -lin- olenic acid, inhibits the generation of leukotrienes(LTs) by leucocytes in patients with bronchial asthma. We examined the factors that affect the suppression of LT generation by leucocytes with perilla seed oil-rich supplementation in patients with asthma, by comparing the clinical features of patients with asthma, whose generation of leukotriene (LT) C4 was suppressed by dietary supplementation with perilla seed oil (n-3 fatty acids) (group A), with those of patients who showed no suppression of LTC4 generation (group B). Group A showed a significant increase in the generation of LTB4 and L TC4 by leucocytes after corn oil-rich supplementation (n-6 fatty acids), and a significant decrease in the generation of LTB4 and LTC4 after perilla seed oil-rich supplementation (n-3 fatty acid). However, this was not observed in group B. The level of serum IgE and peak expiratory flow (PEF) in group A were significantly higher than in group B. Furthermore, the serum levels of LDL-cholesterol, β-lipoprotein and　phospholipid were significantly lower in group A than in group B. These results suggest that the clinical features differ between these two asthmatic populations with respect to suppression of LTB4 and LTC4 generation by n-3 fatty acids in perilla seed oil-rich supplementation.

a-リノレン酸の豊富なエゴマ油の食事は気管支喘息患者の白血球ロイコトリエン(LT)産生能を抑制する｡気管支喘息患者の内,エゴマ油食によりLTC4の産生が抑制された群(A群)と抑制されない群(B群)の臨床データを比較することにより,気管支喘息患者の白血球ロイコトリエン産生能に影響する因子を検討した｡A群はコーン油(n-6系脂肪酸)の豊富な食事後,白血LTB4,LTC4の産生能が増加し,エゴマ油(n-3系脂肪酸)の豊富な食事後LTB4,LTC4の産生能が減少した｡これらの変化はB群では認められなかった｡A群のIgE値,ピークフロー(PEF)値はB群に比し,有意に高値であった｡またLDL-コレステロール,β-リポ蛋白,リン脂質はA群ではB群に比し,有意に低値であった｡これらの結果はエゴマ油の豊富な食事のn-3系脂肪酸によるLTB4,LTC4の産生能の抑制に関して2群の気管支喘息患者群間に臨床データの相違があることを示唆している｡