Study shows benefits of Ahiflower oil in arthritis model

A recent study done in a mouse model suggests that Ahiflower oil — an alternative, plant-based form of omega-3s — performed slightly better than fish oil in alleviating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. 

The new research was published in the European Journal of Nutrition and supported by public grants. It was the work of researchers associated with Canadian universities and research institutes.  

The researchers used a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis in which serum was taken from a strain of lab mice bred specifically to have a genetic predisposition to the malady. That serum was then injected into healthy C57BL/6 male mice to rapidly induce arthritic symptoms, including inflamed joints and platelet aggregations. 

Could Ahiflower work as well as fish oil? 

The researchers noted that fish oil, which is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, has been shown to alleviate many of these symptoms. 

The goal of the research was to investigate whether Ahiflower oil (derived from the seeds of the Buglossoides arvensis plant) could exhibit similar effects to fish oil. 

This non-GMO ingredient has been under development for a number of years by the brand holder, Natures Crops International. It is represented as a sustainable alternative to marine-based omega-3 sources. The oil is expeller pressed from the plant’s seeds, which vaguely resemble buckwheat kernels, though the plants are not closely related. The seeds are grown in the United Kingdom with manufacturing taking place in Canada. 

Tests by the company have shown the oil is significantly more efficient at raising omega-3 levels in the body when compared to flax, its best-known plant-based competitor in the omega-3s realm. This is attributed to Ahiflower’s high content of stearidonic acid, an intermediate step in the conversion of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) — the omega-3 found in flax — to EPA within the body. 

The ingredient’s benefits have caught the attention of the market as evidenced by the launch in May of a combo Ahiflower oil/algal oil product by prominent supplement brand MegaFood. 

Four-arm study design 

To test the effects of the intervention, the researchers designed a four-arm study. The control group mice ate a lab mouse version of a Western diet, in which about 50% of calories came from carbs and roughly 34% from fat with the rest coming from protein. 

The primary fats in the diets consisted of cocoa butter, palm oil and sunflower oil. The protein was supplied by casein with carbohydrates consisting mostly of sucrose and maltodextrin. 

In addition to the control diet, one diet featured 3% of fat calories replaced with fish oil. Another, called the “low Ahiflower” diet, replaced 3% of the fat calories with Ahiflower oil, while the “high Ahiflower” diet featured 10% of the calories replaced with the plant oil. 

The low Ahiflower diet equated to a human dose of about 6 grams a day. 

The study was blinded in that the lab technicians dealing with the mice did not know which animals were receiving which diet. All of the diets were offered to the mice “ad libitum,” meaning they could eat when they wanted and how much they wanted. 

The primary outcome of the study, which lasted five weeks, was observed changes in limb joints as the mice’s arthritis progressed.  

Secondary outcomes were the generation of platelet‐derived microvesicle subpopulations, which are structures exuded by platelets at sites of inflammation, and measures of blood chemicals associated with inflammation such as chemokines and cytokines. 

Ahiflower reduced joint swelling slightly better than fish oil 

The results showed the low Ahiflower diet decreased ankle joint swelling on days 9, 11 and 13 by 44%, 47% and 51%, respectively. This was slightly better than the fish oil diet, in which the respective measures were 42%, 46% and 48%. 

The production of platelet-derived microvesicles was assessed by stimulating isolated platelets with either thrombin or collagen IV, which are both molecules associated with joint function. Both the low Ahiflower and fish oil diets showed a similar ability to restrict the production of the microvesicles. 

One of the cytokines the researchers monitored, designated as CCL3 — a leukocyte chemokine produced by platelets — showed a 57% decrease in the low Ahiflower diet group. 

“From a therapeutic perspective, a slight change in the daily diet of patients living with rheumatoid arthritis, in combination with their current medication, could potentially provide additional symptom relief for people living with the disease,” the authors stated. “In conclusion, we confirmed that omega-3 PUFA supplements, including a novel renewable plant source of omega-3 PUFA, decrease platelet activation as well as the progression of inflammatory murine arthritis.”