EPA and DHA differentially modulate monocyte inflammatory response in subjects with chronic inflammation in part via plasma specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study

The independent effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on chronic inflammation through their downstream lipid mediators, including the specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPM), remain unstudied. Therefore, we compared the effects of EPA and DHA supplementation on monocyte inflammatory response and plasma polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) SPM lipidome. After a 4-week lead-in phase (baseline), 9 men and 12 postmenopausal women (50–75 years) with chronic inflammation received two phases of 10-week supplementation with 3 g/day EPA and DHA in a random order, separated by a 10-week washout. Compared with baseline, EPA and DHA supplementation differently modulated LPS-stimulated monocyte cytokine expression. EPA lowered TNFA (p