Abstract
Numerous clinical studies demonstrate benefits of dietary supplementation with fish oils in autoimmune diseases and other inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematodes and so on. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid which is abundantly found in fish oil. In the present study we investigated effects of DHA on proliferation of human keratinocytes established from skin of seven adult donors, cultivated in growth medium that allows optimal cell proliferation. We found a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation when keratinocytes were incubated with 6.25, 12.5 and 25 -μM of DHA. Inhibition of proliferative capacity considerably varied in keratinocyte cultures derived from different donors, particularly when incubated with the lowest concentration of the assessed substance. Lactate dehydrogenase-release assay excluded necrosis of cultivated keratinocytes as a cause of decreased proliferation. Our results suggest that DHA may potentially be used as a routine adjuvant therapy, with classical therapy of inflammatory hyperproliferative skin diseases.