INTERACTIONS OF LIPIDS WITH IMMUNE FUNCTION-II - EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL-STUDIES OF LIPIDS AND IMMUNITY

Dietary lipids, through the degrees and patterns of fatty acyl unsaturation, have the ability to suppress or enhance the immune response. The basic biochemical mechanisms by which these lipids alter the structure and function of plasma membranes have previously been reviewed. In this second review, the diverse effects of lipids in experimental animal models and clinical human studies will be discussed. The immune modulating effects of lipids can be understood only if all the known effects of lipids on cellular function are taken into account, including (I) changes in membranes fluidity, (2) production of lipid peroxides, (3) regulation of eicosanoid metabolism, and (4) direct interactions with cellular activation. Explanations of the observed effects of lipids based on only one of these mechanisms, such as changes in eicosanoid production are simplistic and do not explain the often contradictory findings noted.