Multi-targeted therapy of cancer by omega-3 fatty acids

Abstract

Omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential fatty acids necessary for human health. Currently, the Western diet contains a disproportionally high amount of n-6 PUFAs and low amount of n-3 PUFAs, and the resulting high n-6/n-3 ratio is thought to contribute to cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and cancer. Studies in human populations have linked high consumption of fish or fish oil to reduced risk of colon, prostate and breast cancer, although other studies failed to find a significant association. Nonetheless, the available epidemiological evidence, combined with the demonstrated effects of n-3 PUFAs on cancer in animal and cell culture models, has motivated the development of clinical interventions using n-3 PUFAs in the prevention and treatment of cancer, as well as for nutritional support of cancer patients to reduce weight loss and modulate the immune system. In this review, we discuss the rationale for using long-chain n-3 PUFAs in cancer prevention and treatment and the challenges that such approaches pose in the design of clinical trials.

Docosahexaenoic acid intake decreases proliferation, increases apoptosis and decreases the invasive potential of the human breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231

“…Genetic factors are obviously involved in carcinogenesis, but diet is an environmental factor that is likely to have an influence on health (1), and particularly on tumor emergence (2)(3)(4). It has been shown that n-3 polyunsaturated, long-chain fatty acids (PUFAs), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are able to play an important preventive role in cardiovascular disease (5) and cancer (6). This conclusion is based partly on the observation that the incidence of these diseases is lower in Japanese people, whose diet is seafood based, resulting in a more balanced ratio between n-3 and n-6 PUFA than that of the Western diet (7).…”

Effect of supplementation of the maternal diet with fish oil or linseed oil on fatty-acid composition and expression of Δ5- and Δ6-desaturase in tissues of female piglets

“…These fatty acids are known to be crucial for normal growth and development (reviewed by Ruxton et al, 2004). They also reduce risk of cardio-vascular disease (reviewed by Givens and Gibbs, 2008), decrease incidence of age-related eye disease (SanGiovanni et al, 2008), positively alter human red blood cell fatty-acid composition (Barcelo-Coblijn et al, 2008), decrease risk of cancer and have a number of other health benefits (Berquin et al, 2008;Li et al, 2008;Mozaffarian, 2008).…”

Nutrition and its Important Role in Maintaining an Adequate Immunity during Chemotherapy

“…These improvements include an increase in the effectiveness, and a reduction in the toxicity, of drugs prescribed [6,7], thereby producing a better response to CT. At the same time, there has been a considerable decrease in the side effects caused by such treatment, particularly in terms of improvement in appetite and body weight, survival rates and general quality of life, as well as a reduction in the time spent in hospital, and in the gravity of post-surgical infections [6,8,9]. It is extremely important to strengthen the immunological system during oncological treatment [10], since both the CT and the cancer itself can have a direct effect on it [1].…”