Effects of an eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid concentrate on a human lung carcinoma grown in nude mice.
The effects of the n-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), on the growth of a human lung mucoepidermoid carcinoma (HLMC) in athymic mice were studied. The mice were divided into three groups which were given either a control chow diet (C), a chow diet supplemented with EPA/DHA (P) (25 or 50 mg of free n-3 fatty acids/g of pellet/day), or chow diet supplemented with palmitic acid (S) (isocaloric with P). Two independent experimental schedules were followed: i) host mice bearing either tumors that were allowed to reach 4000 mm3, or only 35 mm3, were fed C, P or S for 21 or 41 days; ii) animals were fed C, P and S for 9 days before tumor implant and were maintained on these diets throughout tumor growth. Food consumption, mouse weight and liver/body weight ratio showed no significant differences between supplemented diets and chow. Tumor growth was markedly inhibited (45%) in both experiments by the EPA/DHA supplemented diet. In Experiment 2, only 60% of mice fed diet P had tumors. The fatty acid composition of neutral and polar lipids of host liver and tumor reflected the dietary intake of n-3 fatty acids; the content of arachidonic acid was reduced by 50%, and EPA/DHA was increased 3- to 5-fold. Tumor prostaglandin E2 levels were reduced 7.4-fold in the P group. The reduced PGE2 content may be a factor in tumor growth inhibition.
de Bravo
M G
MG
Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquimicas de La Plata (INIBIOLP), Facultad de Medicina, UNLP, Argentina.
de Antueno
R J
RJ
Toledo
J
J
De Tomás
M E
ME
Mercuri
O F
OF
Quintans
C
C
D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000209:etiology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D015232:Dinoprostone