METHODS: Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into (i) control, (ii) stress-exposed, (iii) stress-exposed and treated with TH (1 g/kg body weight twice daily via oral gavage), (iv) stress-exposed and treated with DHA-rich fish oil (450 mg/kg body weight twice daily via oral gavage), and (v) stress-exposed and treated with a combination of TH and DHA-rich fish oil. The chronic stress regimen consisted of a combination of restraint stress and a swim stress test for 28 days. The concentrations of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines in brain homogenates (TNF-α, IL6, and IFN-γ) were measured by ELISA.
RESULTS: The concentrations of TNF-α, IL6, and IFN-γ in brain homogenates from the DHA, TH, and TH + DHA-treated groups were significantly lower compared to the control and stress-only-exposed groups (p