title: Strain- and sex-linked effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on tumor growth and immune functions in mice.
abstract: In the present paper, we studied the influence of different levels of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on the immune system and tumor growth in young mice. Female BALB/c mice fed a PUFA-rich diet display an enhanced body growth, proliferative response to mitogens in vitro, and rate of growth of a spontaneous transplantable adenocarcinoma as compared to PUFA-poor diet-fed females. Such effects are, however, limited by sex and strain background genes located outside the H-2 complex. In effect, the influence of dietary PUFA content is evident in female but not in male BALB/c mice. Moreover, in female DBA/2 mice with the same haplotype (H-2d) of the major histocompatibility complex as that of BALB/c mice, low dietary PUFA determines a reduced tumor growth only, but it does not affect body growth and proliferative response to mitogens in vitro.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002455:Cell Division; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006238:Haploidy; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008934:Mitogens