Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in cancer therapy : does eicosapentanoic acid influence the radiosensitivity of tumor cells? (original) (raw)
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Strahlentherapie Und Onkologie, 2011
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid cis-5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) can enhance the radiosensitivity of different human tumor cell lines. Materials and Methods: Colon adenocarcinoma cells HT-29, and two glioblastoma multiforme tumor cells T98G and U251 were cultured under standard conditions. Cell growth was observed during administration with different concentrations of EPA, using it as the free fatty acid dissolved in ethanol or bound to bovine serum albumin. To investigate the influence of EPA (free and bound) on radiosensitivity, tumor cells were pretreated 30 minutes or 24 hours prior to irradiation with the fatty acid. Cell survival was measured by colony-forming assays. Results: When combined with irradiation, incubation with EPA was found to result in enhanced radiosensitivity with substantial variation: while there was strong radiosensitization for HT-29 and U251 cells, almost no effect for T98G cells was observed. A marked radiosensitization was clearly dependent on the treatment schedule. Conclusion: The observations suggest that EPA is not only a nutritional adjuvant but also may be a potential candidate to enhance the efficacy of irradiation on human cancer cells.
Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 2007
Recent advances in the development of new therapeutic strategies combining conventional adjuvant radio/chemotherapy with nutritional manipulations with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are presented. Studies in cell culture and tumour-bearing animals have reported the ability of long-chain n-3 PUFAs to enhance the cytotoxicity of several anticancer drugs. In colon cancer, combination of n-3 PUFAs with 5-fluorouracil resulted in an additive growth inhibitory effect on different cell lines. Moreover, recent findings suggest that eicosapentaenoic or docosahexaenoic acid may be used to enhance tumour radiosensitivity while reducing mucosal/epidermal radiotoxicity similar to radioprotective agents. The underlying mechanism is probably mediated through lipid peroxidation because the antitumour effect of n-3 PUFAs is shared with the n-6 PUFA, arachidonic acid, and abolished by vitamin E. In vivo, the use of n-3 PUFAs may provide an additional advantage compared with n-6 PUFAs. Downr...
Nutrition and Cancer, 2020
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is a long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid that has been used to treat cachectic cancer. However, its efficacy and safety with regard to cancer cells remain unclear. The present study comprised an In Vitro investigation of the effects of EPA on cancers. The effects of 0.01-300 lg/mL of EPA on the proliferation and death of cells after 24, 48, and 72 h were explored. The study included cell lines representing neuroblastoma (Kelly, SH-SY5Y, C1300); acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); Burkitt's lymphoma; acute myeloid leukemia (AML); adult cancer cell lines of the pancreas, colon, and prostate; and a fibroblast cell line. EPA caused 4.4%-7% proliferation of fibroblasts, but did not protect them from the toxic effect of cisplatin. It did not induce proliferation in the neuroblastoma cells, and did not reduce the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin. EPA also did not cause proliferation in ALL, Burkitt's lymphoma, and AML cells, and did not alter the cytotoxic effects of L-asparaginase, cyclophosphamide, and cytosine arabinoside, respectively. Our results were similar in the adult cancer cell lines. EPA is safe because it has no effects on the proliferation of cancer cells or on chemotherapy In Vitro.
Nutritional intervention with omega-3 fatty acids enhances tumor response to anti-neoplastic agents
Chemico-Biological Interactions, 2006
Nutritional intervention with specific fatty acids depresses tumor growth and enhances tumor responsiveness to chemotherapy. Supplementation of tumors with long chained omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids results in enrichment of tumor phospholipid fractions with omega-3 fatty acids resulting in an altered membrane composition and function. Tumors enriched with long chained omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids possess membranes with increased fluidity, an elevated unsaturation index, enhanced transport capabilities that results in accumulation of selective anti-cancer agents, increased activity of selected drug activating enzymes, and alteration of signaling pathways important for cancer progression. These nutritionally induced changes in tumor fatty acid composition result in increased sensitivity to chemotherapy, especially in tumor lines that are resistant to chemotherapy and cause specific enhancement of cytotoxicity to tumor cells and protection of normal cells. Pre-disposing tumors to increased chemo-sensitivity through nutritional intervention with specific fatty acids has the potential to improve patient response to chemotherapy with fewer untoward side effects if these pre-clinical findings carry over into a clinical setting.
Cancer cell international, 2005
BACKGROUND: The effects of an omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid enriched diet alone and in combination with gamma irradiation (IR) therapy in nude mice bearing a human MDA-MB231 breast cancer xenograft were tested. The cancer cells were injected into the mammary fat pad of young female mice. Six weeks later, mice were randomly divided into two diet groups: 1) mice with 10% corn oil (rich in omega 6 fatty acids) in their food, 2) mice consuming a 10% fat diet that was enriched in n-3 fatty acids. After two weeks on the diet, treatment with 200 cGy of IR every second day for four treatments (total 800 cGy) was initiated on half of the mice from each diet group. Some mice in each of the 4 groups were euthanized 24 hours after the end of IR while the remaining mice were followed for 3 additional weeks. Tumor sections were stained for endothelial cells with CD31 and PAS and for hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-alpha). RESULTS: The tumor cortex within 100 microns of the well-vascularized capsu...
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cancer
Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry, 2013
While the anticancer effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 fatty acids), particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has been the subject of intense study, our understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms of omega-3 fatty acids against cancer is still limited. Recent studies describing the cancer protective effect of EPA and DHA have sparked a renewed interest in using these fatty acids for cancer prevention and treatment. Here, we summarize the significance of omega- 3 fatty acids in the initiation and progression of cancer, and review the complex mechanisms by which EPA and DHA are thought to have anticancer activities during cancer development. It is concluded that omega-3 fatty acids may exert their anticancer actions by influencing multiple targets implicated in various stages of cancer development, including cell proliferation, cell survival, angiogenesis, inflammation, metastasis and epigenetic abnormalities that are crucial ...
Phytochemistry Reviews, 2014
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