Effects of dietary enrichment with eicosapentaenoic acid upon autoimmune nephritis in female NZB X NZW/F1 mice.

A menhaden oil diet, rich in eicosapentaenoic acid, protected female NZB X NZW/F1 mice from autoimmune nephritis. Only 15% of mice treated with the diet from weaning had died with severe renal disease at 19 months, versus 98% of controls on a beef tallow diet. The menhaden oil also protected these mice from renal disease when instituted at 4 and 5 months of age and, under these conditions, levels of anti-native DNA antibodies were similar in both dietary groups. Our data suggest that the menhaden oil diet may act primarily to reduce inflammation via the ability of eicosapentaenoic acid to alter the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes.