Impact of Natural Oils Supplements on Disease Activity and Antioxidant State of Egyptian Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

The present research was established to study the effect of oral supplementation of different natural oils on the anti-oxidant state, plasma trace elements, prostaglandin E2, activities of transaminases, uric acid and creatinine and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in Egyptian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The natural oils used in this study were fish oil, evening primrose and Nigella sativa, in conjunction with vitamin E and were supplemented for two months to RA patients. Additional group of patients was given synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs.
Results showed that supplementation of any of the above referred natural oils, significant reduction of the activities of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), ESR, plasma copper, prostaglandin E2, and creatinine with significant increase of plasma zinc were noticed in RA patients. Administration of either fish oil or primrose oil produced significant increase of plasma vitamin C and decrease of plasma uric acid. The serum of RA patients that were given primrose showed significant increase of plasma vitamin E. Fish oil was the only supplement that produced reduction in plasma activities of transaminases. It was noticed that administration of synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs produced significant increase of plasma vitamin C and significant decrease of plasma copper and prostaglandin E2.
The present research included studying the antioxidant state and the different biochemical parameters when the previously mentioned natural oils were administered simultaneously during consumption of either low or high caloric diet in RA patients.
Concerning the antioxidant state, especially the elevating effect of plasma vitamin C and the reducing effect of the activities of erythrocyte SOD, the best natural oil in this respect was fish oil followed by primrose then Nigella, the synthetic drug had the best least effect. Primrose was superior in elevating plasma vitamin E.
Plasma prostaglandin E2 was efficiently reduced by fish oil supplementation followed by synthetic drugs then primrose oil which was more efficient than Nigella oil.