Dietary fish oil and curcumin combine to modulate colonic cytokinetics and gene expression in dextran sodium sulphate-treated mice

Abstract

Both fish oil (FO) and curcumin have potential as anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory agents. To further explore their combined effects on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis, C57BL/6 mice ere randomised to four diets (2 Ã-2 design) differing in fatty acid content ith or ithout curcumin supplementation (FO, FO+2 % curcumin, maize oil (control, MO) or MO+2 % curcumin). Mice ere exposed to one or t o cycles of DSS in the drinking-ater to induce either acute or chronic intestinal inflammation, respectively. FO-fed mice exposed to the single-cycle DSS treatment exhibited the highest mortality (40 %, seventeen of forty-three) compared ith MO ith the lo est mortality (3 %, one of t enty-nine) (P = 0•0008). Addition of curcumin to MO increased (P = 0•003) mortality to 37 % compared ith the control. Consistent ith animal survival data, follo ing the one-or t o-cycle DSS treatment, both dietary FO and curcumin promoted mucosal injury/ulceration compared ith MO. In contrast, compared ith other diets, combined FO and curcumin feeding enhanced the resolution of chronic inflammation and suppressed (P < 0•05) a key inflammatory mediator, NF-ΰB, in the colon mucosa. Mucosal microarray analysis revealed that dietary FO, curcumin and FO plus curcumin combination differentially modulated the expression of genes induced by DSS treatment. These results suggest that dietary lipids and curcumin interact to regulate mucosal homeostasis and the resolution of chronic inflammation in the colon. © 2011 The Authors.