Abstract

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to decrease inflammatory markers such as TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 levels. It has been shown that there is association between several markers of inflammation with cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death in the end stage of renal disease (ESRD) patients. So it may be useful to administer this supplement in renal transplant recipients. To investigate this possibility, we studied the effect of omega-3 on the occurrence of acute rejection. In this study, we assessed the effect of 6 months of dietary supplementation with 6 g/day of omega-3 fatty acids on Lipid profile (TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C) and serum concentration of TNF-a, IL-6 and hs-CRP in renal transplant recipients. Based on these data, omega-3 fatty acids supplementation does not cause a decrease in serum level of tested inflammatory biomarkers in renal transplant recipients but decreases total cholesterol level.

Key words: Omega-3 fatty acids, renal transplantation, inflammatory biomarkers.