Effect of Dietary Short and Medium Chain Fatty Acids in Murine Lethal Sepsis Model

Sepsis is defined as the presence of an infection in combination with systemic inflammation in a host. One of the detrimental results of sepsis is multiple organ failure which eventually leads to death. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin that can be found on the outer surface of gram-negative bacteria, can be used as a model for sepsis. LPS present in the circulatory system of hosts can induce symptoms that are seen in patients during septicemia. Previous studies have suggested that including milk fat in a diet may protect against a lethal dosage of LPS in rodents. Milk fat has a unique fatty acid composition in which approximately 20-30% is made up of short and medium chain fatty acids. Interestingly, studies have also indicated that medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil can also have a protective effect against LPS induced inflammation. The objective of this research was to determine if these dietary fatty acids, would have any effect against inflammation that is induced by LPS using an animal model