Cancer
Derivatives of omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil fight breast cancer
By David Liu, Ph.D.
Jun 16, 2005 - 11:32:00 AM

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. A new study finds that derivatives from two omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have more potent anticancer properties than omega-3 fatty acids.

Oily fish rich in Omega-3- polyunsaturated long chain fatty acids was linked with low incidence of several types of cancer in previous epidemiological studies.

In the current study, Rafat A Siddiqui and colleagues at Methodist Research Institute and Indiana University synthesized conjugates, namely propofol-docosahexaenoate or propofol-DHA and propofol-eicosapentaenoate or propofol-EPA, based on propofol, an anesthetic-sedative agent, and omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

The study tested propofol-DHA and propofol-EPA in cell cultures for their anticancer properties.

While DHA, EPA, propofol were used separately or in combination, their anticancer effect led to 5 to 15 percent of apoptosis.

Apoptosis is a cellular process leading to the death of a cell, the way normal cells use to prevent injured cells from becoming cancerous.

In contrast, the propofol-DHA or propofol-EPA conjugates significantly inhibited cell adhesion (15 to 30%) and migration (about 50%) and induced apoptosis (about 40%) in breast cancer cells.

The results indicated that the propofol-DHA and propofol-EPA may be useful for the treatment of breast cancer.

The results were published online in the June 7 issue of Breast Cancer Research. #