title: Comparison of the fatty acid compositions in intraepithelial and infiltrating lesions of the cervix: part III, saturated and unsaturated fatty acid profiles.
abstract: The purpose of the third part of this study is to construct a basic lipid model (this includes information regarding total and free saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid contents, as well as total and free fatty acid saturation and double bond indexes, and comparisons of total and free n-3, n-6, n-7 and n-9 fatty acids in normal epithelial tissue, and intraepithelial and infiltrating lesions of the cervix) which, together with the individual total and free fatty acid profiles given in parts I and II of this study, should provide an understanding of the turnover of total and free acids, especially essential fatty acids, during cervical carcinogenesis. Such information can serve as a sound basis for further studies in an attempt to access this disease process. We observed an increase in monounsaturated fatty acid values in cancer tissue compared with normal tissue and a decrease of saturated fatty acid values in cancer tissue compared with normal tissue. Based on our observations, we speculate that because of the depletion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acid are synthesized to compensate for this loss; a possible source for the monounsaturated fatty acids are the saturated fatty acids via elongation and/or desaturation. Of particular interest is the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, the most unsaturated lipid in the biological systems, detected in very small amounts only in cancer cells of the cervix.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Morphology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Louw
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Engelbrecht
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cloete
mesh_terms: D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000737:chemistry*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000032:analysis; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated