Long lauded for being a great source of heart healthy fat, new research from Harvard University shows fish oil is also useful in reducing inflammation in the body, when DHA, an active ingredient found in fish oils is converted by the body into a chemical called Resolvin D2.

The effects of Resolvin D2 were studied on mice suffering from full-body inflammation, with researchers finding the chemical dramatically reduced this inflammation, increasing survival rates among the mice.

Inflammation occurs when the body mistakenly directs its natural defenses against healthy tissue, instead of infections. Most of the current crop of drugs for combating inflammation, also have to suppress the immune system, which can prove dangerous for patients with bodies already weakened by infection.

Potentially, RvD2 could be used as an agonist for stimulating resolution of acute inflammation and clearing invading bacteria, which may not only prove important for treating uncontrolled acute inflammatory diseases, but possibly many other more complex diseases associated with inflammation, like sepsis or even periodontal diseases, without causing immune-suppression.

Mostly the fundamental cause of tissue damage from inflammation is excessive accumulation of white blood cells (leukocytes) migrating from the bloodstream to the site of infection or injury by sticking to the inner lining of the blood vessels, called the endothelium. For the study, researchers looked at how RvD2 stopped inflammation, and found RvD2 caused endothelial cells to produce small amounts of nitric oxide, which acted as a chemical signal discouraging the leukocytes from sticking to the endothelial cells and preventing inflammation.

In the study, Resolvin D2 was not only found to be a powerful anti-inflammatory, it also reduced inflammation without affecting the immune system, which is why researchers feel it has great potential as a potential treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and stroke.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Arthritis Research Campaign UK and the Wellcome Trust, these findings of the study have been published in the 29th October issue of Nature.