Fig. 3 The effect of omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols in the regulation of the inflammatory response. Omega-3 fatty acids inhibit the inflammatory response by inhibiting PGE2 which promotes inflammation and NF-κB either directly, via the interaction with the transcriptional factors PPARs, or by inhibiting TLR2/4 which normally activates NF-κB. Moreover, omega-3 fatty acids regulate inflammation by activating MAPK and GPR120 which in turn inhibits inflammation. Polyphenols inhibit the inflammatory response by directly inhibiting NF-κB, or via the PPARs. They also promote fatty acid b-oxidation and inhibit VCAM-1, ICAM-1, MAPK pathway, PGE2 and COX-2 that all promote chronic inflammation (PGE2 –prostaglandin 2; NF-κB – nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells; PPARs – peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; TLR2/4– toll-like receptor; MAPK – mitogen-activated protein kinase; GPR120 – G-protein coupled receptor 120; VCAM-1 – vascular cell adhesion molecule 1; ICAM-1 – intracellular cell adhesion molecule 1; COX-2 – cyclooxygenase 2; TNF-α – tumour necrosis factor alpha; MCP-1 – monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; AMPK – AMP kinase).