Procyanidins and docosahexaenoic acid suppress inflammation and boost immune system in cafeteria diet-fed rats

• We report the immunomodulatory role of GSPE and DHA, two bioeompounds, in cafeteria diet-induced obese rats.
• Bioactives suppress diet-induced inflammation by promoting a phenotypic switch in the immune cell profile of mesenteric adipose tissue.
• Cell-mediated immunity is boosted by bioactives, involving macrophages and T lymphocyte subsets.
• GSPE and DHA improve thymus and spleen functionality, counteracting the obesity-induced weakened immune responses.
• GSPE-DHA combination provides an added value, both as anti-inflammatory but also showing enhanced immunostimulatory effects.

Nutrition can be considered as a two-side coin: although an imbalance in the energy content is associated with obesity, a healthier state can be promoted through the intake of immunologically active compounds. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the immunomodulatory properties of grape seed procyanidin extract (GSPE) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cafeteria (CAF) diet-fed rats. Rats were fed either a standard diet (STD) or a CAF diet for 13 weeks. During the last 3 weeks the group fed with CAF diet was divided depending on CAF diet supplementation with GSPE and/or DHA. The healthy properties of GSPE and DHA diet supplementation include the suppression of diet-induced inflammation by promoting a phenotypic switch in the molecular and cell profile of mesenteric adipose tissue, the boost of immune system through the modulation of cell-mediated immunity, involving macrophages and T lymphocyte subsets, and the stimulation of the thymus and spleen functionality to counteract the obesity-induced weakened immune response. Moreover, the combination of GSPE and DHA bioactivities potentiate the immunomodulatory properties of each compound administered individually.