Increased phospholipid fatty acid remodeling in human and rat prostatic adenocarcinoma tissues.
OBJECTIVE
To study the mechanism of diminished arachidonic acid levels in malignant prostatic tissues.


METHODS
Benign and malignant prostate tissues were obtained from human radical prostatectomy specimens and from rats using Pollard's Lobund/Wistar rat prostate cancer model. Fatty acid composition and a variety of enzyme activities involved in maintaining phospholipid fatty acid composition were compared in malignant and benign prostatic tissues.


RESULTS
Decreased arachidonic acid levels, previously reported in human prostate cancer, were present in malignant rat as well as in human tissues. There were 21% and 26% decreases of arachidonic acid levels in the rat and human malignant tissues compared with benign tissues. Fatty acid desaturase activity was undetectable. Fatty acyl-CoA hydrolase and synthetase activities were not altered in the malignant tissues. However, there was a 2-fold increase in phospholipase A2 activity and a 4- to 12-fold increase in fatty acyl-CoA lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase activity in malignant rat and human prostatic tissues.


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate that, in malignant prostate tissues, the fatty acid remodeling mechanism is activated through the deacylation-reacylation cycle. This process may be a result of increased use of arachidonic acid for the formation of prostaglandins that may be crucial for the further development and growth of the malignant tissues.
Faas
F H
FH
Department of Medicine, John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA.
Dang
A Q
AQ
Pollard
M
M
Hong
X M
XM
Fan
K
K
Luckert
P H
PH
Schutz
M
M
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D010743:Phospholipids; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases