Effects of omega-6/3 and omega-9/6 nutraceuticals on pain and fertility in peritoneal endometriosis in rats

Francisco Edson Ximenes Gomes Pereira, Francisco das Chagas Medeiros, Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha, Karine Saraiva da Silva
Acta cirurgica brasileira · 2019 · vol. 34(4) , pp. e201900405 · doi:10.1590/s0102-865020190040000005 · PMID:31066787 · PMC6583929 · W2943836265
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Omega-6/3 and omega-9/6 nutraceuticals reduced pain in rats with peritoneal endometriosis but did not improve fertility.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This experimental study evaluated whether omega-6/3 or omega-9/6 nutraceutical supplementation would affect endometriosis-associated infertility and pain in eight female Wistar rats per group after surgically inducing peritoneal endometriosis. Pain was measured using an acetic-acid abdominal contortion (writhing) test, and fertility was assessed by counting embryos in the left hemi-uterus. Omega-6/3 and omega-9/6 nutraceuticals significantly reduced writhing compared with control rats with endometriosis, but none of the nutraceutical-treated groups showed improved fertility relative to the endometriosis control, with medroxyprogesterone acetate and meloxicam serving as comparators. The study’s main limitation, as implied by its design, is its small sample size and reliance on embryo counts and a single pain assay in a rat model rather than direct reproductive outcomes in humans. This paper is centrally about endometriosis—testing omega fatty-acid ratio nutraceuticals for effects on pain and fertility in a rat model of peritoneal endometriosis.

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Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of the nutraceuticals omega-6/3 and omega-9/6 on endometriosis-associated infertility and pain. METHODS: Controlled experimental study, with each group composed of eight female rats. Fertility groups: sham-operated control (0.9% saline solution); control with endometriosis (0.9% saline); omega-6/3 (1.2 g/kg/day); omega-9/6 (1.2 g/kg/day); and meloxicam (0.8 mg/kg/day). Pain groups: sham-operated control (0.9% saline); control with endometriosis (0.9% saline); omega-6/3 (1.2 g/kg/day); omega-9/6 (1.2 g/kg/day); medroxyprogesterone acetate (5 mg/kg/every 3 days); and meloxicam (0.8 mg/kg/day). Peritoneal endometriosis was surgically induced. Pain was evaluated with the writhing test. Fertility was evaluated by counting the number of embryos in the left hemi-uterus. RESULTS: The mean number of writhings was as follows: sham-operated, 11.1 ± 2.9; control with endometriosis, 49.3 ± 4.4; omega-6/3, 31.5 ± 2.7; omega-9/6, 34.1 ± 4.5; medroxyprogesterone acetate, 2.1 ± 0.8; meloxicam, 1 ± 0.3. There was a significant difference between both controls and all drugs used for treatment. Regarding fertility, the mean values were as follows: sham-operated, 6.8 ± 0.6; control with endometriosis, 4.2 ± 0.7; omega-6/3, 4.7 ± 1; omega-9/6, 3.8 ± 0.9; and meloxicam, 1.8 ± 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: The omega-6/3 and omega-9/6 nutraceuticals decreased pain compared to the controls. There was no improvement in fertility in any of the tested groups.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Fatty Acids, Omega-3 Fertility Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Meloxicam Pain Animals Disease Models, Animal Endometriosis Endometriosis Fatty Acids, Omega-3 Female Fertility Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Meloxicam Pain Peritoneum Peritoneum Rats

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