Oral composition with immunomodulating effect on natural killer cells

Abstract

An oral composition comprising, as active ingredients, a combination of fatty acids or esters thereof for use in a method for the treatment of repeated spontaneous abortions or repeated implantation failures after in vitro fertilization in sub-fertile women has increased the number and/or the cytotoxicity of NK cells. The oral compositions is administered in specified amounts for a specified period of time.

1 . An oral composition comprising, as active ingredients:
 a combination of fatty acids or esters thereof, for use in a method for the treatment of recurrent spontaneous abortions or repeated implantation failures in a human female subject having 12% or more of peripheral blood NK cells in total peripheral blood cells and/or   wherein the cytotoxicity of the peripheral blood NK cells of the human female subject is at least 10% higher than the mean cytotoxicity of a control population of healthy human females of reproductive age with no reproductive failures and who have given birth to at least one child,   the composition is orally administered for 15 to 70 days, and   the total amount of fatty acids or esters thereof administered per day is from 0.03 g/kg of body weight to 1 g/kg of body weight, calculated as fatty acids.   
     
     
         2 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the total amount of fatty acids or esters thereof administered per day is from 0.10 g/kg of body weight to 0.70 g/kg of body weight, calculated as fatty acids. 
     
     
         3 . The oral composition according to  claim 2 , wherein the total amount of fatty acids or esters thereof administered per day is from 0.20 g/kg of body weight to 0.50 g/kg of body weight, calculated as fatty acids. 
     
     
         4 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered for 30 to 60 days. 
     
     
         5 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition is administered for 40 to 50 days. 
     
     
         6 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the fatty acids are selected from the group consisting of long chain, medium chain and short chain fatty acids and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The oral composition according to  claim 6 , wherein the long chain fatty acids are selected from the group consisting of palmitic, stearic, myristic, arachidic, oleic, docosahexaenoid, eicosapentaenoic, palmitoleic, myristoleic, sapienic, linoleic, a-linolenic, γ-linolenic acid and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The oral composition according to  claim 6 , wherein the medium chain fatty acids are selected from the group consisting of lauric, capric, caprilic acid and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The oral composition according to any one  claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises at least one saturated, at least one monounsaturated and at least one polyunsaturated long chain fatty acid or esters thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein at least 50% by weight of the active ingredients in the composition, calculated as fatty acids, are long chain fatty acids or esters thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The oral composition according to  claim 10 , wherein at least 65% by weight of the active ingredients in the composition, calculated as fatty acids, are long chain fatty acids or esters thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The oral composition according to  claim 11 , wherein at least 97% by weight of the active ingredients in the composition, calculated as fatty acids, are long chain fatty acids or esters thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid esters are selected from the group consisting of monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides, phospholipids, sphingolipids, saccharolipids and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The oral composition according to  claim 13 , wherein the fatty acid esters are selected from the group consisting of monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The oral composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises one or more vitamins, metal ions, amino acids or mixtures thereof.