Can fish oil dissolve gallstones?

Lee, Dong Ki; Jang, Sung Ill

doi:10.1111/j.1440-1746.2012.07234.x

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…ursodeoxycholic) acids, and thus, the final hydrophobicity of the bile salts depends on the relative contents of these components [55][56][57]. Therefore, the biliary bile salt composition affects human gallstone formation, which opens several therapeutic possibilities [58][59][60][61]. Our results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups of patients in the mean concentrations of total bile acids, phospholipids, or cholesterol in vesicular bile, except for the lower mean concentrations of glycocholic and taurocholic acid in the patient group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telocytes: new insight into the pathogenesis of gallstone disease

Matyja

Gil

Pasternak

et al. 2013

J Cellular Molecular Medi

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The major mechanisms of gallstone formation include biliary cholesterol hypersecretion, supersaturation and crystallization, mucus hypersecretion, gel formation and bile stasis. Gallbladder hypomotility seems to be a key event that triggers the precipitation of cholesterol microcrystals from supersaturated lithogenic bile. Telocytes, a new type of interstitial cells, have been recently identified in many organs, including gallbladder. Considering telocyte functions, it is presumed that these cells might be involved in the signalling processes. The purpose of this study was to correlate the quantity of telocytes in the gallbladder with the lithogenicity of bile. Gallbladder specimens were collected from 24 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstone disease. The control group consisted of 25 consecutive patients who received elective treatment for pancreatic head tumours. Telocytes were visualized in paraffin sections of gallbladders with double immunofluorescence using primary antibodies against c-Kit (anti-CD117) and anti-mast cell tryptase. Cholesterol, phospholipid and bile acid levels were measured in gallbladder bile. The number of telocytes in the gallbladder wall was significantly lower in the study group than that in the control group (3.03 ± 1.43 versus 6.34 ± 1.66 cell/field of view in the muscularis propria, P < 0.001) and correlated with a significant increase in the cholesterol saturation index. The glycocholic and taurocholic acid levels were significantly elevated in the control subjects compared with the study group. The results suggest that bile composition may play an important role in the reduction in telocytes density in the gallbladder.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telocytes: new insight into the pathogenesis of gallstone disease

Matyja

Gil

Pasternak

et al. 2013

J Cellular Molecular Medi

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“…PUFAs are a specific family of fatty acids. The most bioactive ω-3 PUFAs are C20:5ω3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and C22:6ω3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are found predominantly in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines 8,9 . ω-6 PUFA promotes the production of inflammatory cyto kines that, in turn, can stimulate multiple pathways such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis, which favor tumor growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biliary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Telocytes in Gallstone Disease

et al. 2017

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It has been reported that intake of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. It also influences bile composition, decreasing biliary cholesterol saturation in the bile of patients with gallstones. In addition to bile composition disturbances, gallbladder hypomotility must be a cofactor in the pathogenesis of cholelithiasis, as it leads to the prolonged nucleation phase. Our current knowledge about gallbladder motility has been enhanced by the study of a population of newly described interstitial (stromal) cells-telocytes (TCs). The purpose of this study was to determine whether TC loss, reported by our team recently, might be related to bile lithogenicity, expressed as cholesterol saturation index or the difference in biliary PUFA profiles in patients who suffer from cholecystolithiasis and those not affected by this disease. We determined biliary lipid composition including the fatty acid composition of the phospholipid species in bile. Thus, we investigated whether differences in biliary fatty acid profiles (ω-3 PUFA and ω-6 PUFA) in gallbladder bile may influence its lithogenicity and the quantity of TCs within the gallbladder wall. We conclude that the altered PUFA concentrations in the gallbladder bile, with elevation of ω-6 PUFA, constitute important factors influencing TC density in the gallbladder wall, being one of the possible pathophysiological components for the gallstone disease development. This study established that altered bile composition in patients with cholelithiasis may influence TC quantity within the gallbladder muscle, and we concluded that reduction in TC number may be a consequence of the supersaturated bile toxicity, while some other bile components (ω-3 PUFA, glycocholic, and taurocholic acids) may exert protective effects on TC and thus possibly influence the mechanisms regulating gallbladder and extrahepatic bile duct motility. Thus, ω-3 PUFA may represent a possible option to prevent formation of cholesterol gallstones.

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“…15 In addition to UDCA, ezetimibe, myriocin, capsaicin, and curcumin have been shown to effectively treat gallstones in animal studies, but their use has not yet been commercialized and requires further research. 16,17 Given the relatively low prevalence of cholesterol gallstone disease among Alaskan Natives and the increasing appearance of cholesterol gallstone complications among Canadian Inuit as their lifestyles shifted from a fish-based diet to a more Westernized diet, 18,19 we previously conducted animal experiments under the hypothesis that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) would be effective against cholesterol gallstones. 20 The results showed that PUFA protected against cholesterol gallstones in animals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gallstone Dissolution Effects of Combination Therapy with n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Ursodeoxycholic Acid: A Randomized, Prospective, Preliminary Clinical Trial

Lee,

Jang,

Cho

et al. 2024

Gut and Liver

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Background/Aims: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the only well-established and widely used agent for dissolving gallstones. Epidemiological and animal studies have suggested potential therapeutic benefits of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) for dissolving cholesterol gallstones. We evaluated whether adding PUFA to UDCA improves gallstone dissolution in patients with cholesterol gallstones.Methods: This randomized, prospective, preliminary clinical trial compared the efficacy and safety of UDCA plus PUFA combination therapy (combination group) with those of UDCA monotherapy (monotherapy group). The inclusion criteria were a gallstone diameter ≤15 mm on ultrasonography, radiolucent stones on plain X-ray, and no to mild symptoms. Gallstone dissolution rates, response rates, and adverse events were evaluated.Results: Of the 59 screened patients, 45 patients completed treatment (24 and 21 in the monotherapy and combination groups, respectively). The gallstone dissolution rate tended to be higher in the combination group than in the monotherapy group (45.7% vs 9.9%, p=0.070). The radiological response rate was also significantly higher in the combination group (90.5% vs 41.7%, p=0.007). In both groups, dissolution and response rates were higher in patients with gallbladder sludge than in those with distinct stones. Four adverse events (two in each group) were observed, none of which were study drug-related or led to drug discontinuation. The incidence of these adverse events was similar in both groups (combination vs monotherapy: 9.5% vs 8.3%, p=0.890).Conclusions: UDCA plus PUFA therapy dissolves cholesterol gallstones more effectively than UDCA monotherapy, without significant complications. Further prospective, large-scale studies of this combination therapy are warranted.

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Can fish oil dissolve gallstones?

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

Telocytes: new insight into the pathogenesis of gallstone disease

Telocytes: new insight into the pathogenesis of gallstone disease

Biliary Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Telocytes in Gallstone Disease

Gallstone Dissolution Effects of Combination Therapy with n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Ursodeoxycholic Acid: A Randomized, Prospective, Preliminary Clinical Trial

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