title: Elevated levels and altered fatty acid composition of plasma lysophosphatidylcholine(lysoPC) in ovarian cancer patients.
abstract: Lysophosphatidylcholine (lysoPC), a product of phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis via phospholipase A activity, has been proposed to activate cells from a number of lineages. Here, we demonstrate that lysoPC levels are significantly elevated (by 43% overall, relative to normal controls) in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients. This does not appear to be common to all cancers as 5 out of 6 leukemia patients tested had markedly lower (less than one-half of normal) plasma lysoPC. In the plasma of ovarian cancer patients, the percentages of palmitoyl- and stearoyl-lysoPC species were significantly higher, whereas oleoyl and particularly linoleoyl-lysoPC were significantly lower than in control subjects. The molar ratios of lysoPC/PC and palmitoyl-lysoPC/linoleoyl-lysoPC were also significantly elevated in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients compared with those of control subjects. Furthermore, the calculated value of plasma (lysoPC/ PC) x (palmitoyl-lysoPC/linoleoyl-lysoPC) was markedly higher in patients compared with controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okita
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Gaudette
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Holub
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000097:blood; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines / Q000097:blood* / Q000737:chemistry*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines