Immunomodulatory Effect of Pinus Armandi Franch Seed Oil

Abstract

Pinus armandi franch is a special local plant in China and its seed oil is a nice resource of linoleic acid (LA) and linolenic acid. This study investigated the effects of enriching the mouse diet with the ω-6 and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), LA (18:2 ω-6) and α-linolenic acid (18:3 ω-3) different ratios (ω-6/ω-3) on total lipids in Pinus armandi franch seed oil (PAFO), and immune evaluation indexes in plasma, lymph nodes, and spleen from isolated immune cells. Kunming mice were fed a commercial chow. PAFO with a certain ratio (ω-6/ω-3) could promote the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes induced by ConA in mice and the optimal ratio was 4 or 6. PAFO with different ratios (ω-6/ω-3) could increase the spleen index and thymus index and there were significant differences between PAFO group and control group (p < 0.01). The results indicate that the ratio of ω-6 PUFA: ω-3 PUFA is 4 or 6 improve some of the indices of the mice immune status and that a moderate increase in the level of ω-6 PUFA in the mice diet does not suppress the immune system.