Role of lycopene and long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements in airway inflammation

In Western society, increased asthma prevalence over recent years has coincided with changes in dietary patterns, leading to the hypothesis that a Western diet increases susceptibility to asthma. Components of the diet that may be important are antioxidants (e.g. lycopene) and fatty acids. Lycopene and long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA) including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have anti-inflammatory effects. As asthma is a disease linked to oxidative stress and inflammation, it was hypothesised that these nutrients may have a beneficial effect individually, and may have a synergistic anti-inflammatory effect when used in combination. The aim was to examine the ability of lycopene and/or LCn-3PUFAs to protect against virus-induced inflammation, as rhinovirus infection is the primary cause of asthma exacerbation. The results presented demonstrate that both lycopene and DHA (but not EPA) individually decreased the inflammatory response of airway epithelial cells infected with rhinovirus. The results also showed that DHA supplementation increased the utilization of lycopene by cells. Furthermore, lycopene reduced rhinovirus replication. A combination of lycopene and DHA also reduced the inflammatory response of cells to rhinovirus infection, however, no synergistic anti-inflammatory effect was apparent. It is concluded that consumption of foods containing lycopene and DHA may exhibit a beneficial effect on the inflammatory response to rhinovirus infection. This may have important clinical implications, as increased dietary intake of foods rich in these nutrients may lead to a reduction in the frequency and severity of asthma exacerbations.