HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: ard.2007.077156v1 67/6/841    most recent Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Google Scholar Articles by Wright, S A Articles by McVeigh, G E PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wright, S A Articles by McVeigh, G E

A randomised interventional trial of -3-polyunsaturated fatty acids on endothelial function and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus

¹ Department of Therapeutics and Pharmacology, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
² Lupus Research Group, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
³ Department of Rheumatology, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
⁴ Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, UK

Correspondence to:
Dr Stephen Wright, Department of Rheumatology, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast BT9 7JB, Northern Ireland, UK; drsawright{at}yahoo.co.uk

Objective: To determine the clinical effect of dietary supplementation with low-dose -3-polyunsaturated fatty acids on disease activity and endothelial function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Methods: A 24-week randomised double-blind placebo-controlled parallel trial of the effect of 3 g of -3-polyunsaturated fatty acids on 60 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was performed. Serial measurements of disease activity using the revised Systemic Lupus Activity Measure (SLAM-R) and British Isles Lupus Assessment Group index of disease activity for systemic lupus erythematosus (BILAG), endothelial function using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery, oxidative stress using platelet 8-isoprostanes and analysis of platelet membrane fatty acids were taken at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks.

Results: In the fish oil group there was a significant improvement at 24 weeks in SLAM-R (from 9.4 (SD 3.0) to 6.3 (2.5), p<0.001); in BILAG (from 13.6 (6.0) to 6.7 (3.8), p<0.001); in FMD (from 3.0% (–0.5 to 8.2) to 8.9% (1.3 to 16.9), p<0.001) and in platelet 8-isoprostanes (from 177 pg/mg protein (23–387) to 90 pg/mg protein (32–182), p = 0.007).

Conclusions: Low-dose dietary supplementation with -3 fish oils in systemic lupus erythematosus not only has a therapeutic effect on disease activity but also improves endothelial function and reduces oxidative stress and may therefore confer cardiovascular benefits.