Experimental, clinical and epidemiological evidences suggest that quantity and quality of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) play a significant role in the development of cancer. But the mechanisms involved in this interaction(s) between dietary intake of PUFAs and cancer are not clear. Cannabinoids are known to have growth modulatory actions. Hence, we analyzed the effect of supplementation of ω6 and ω3 PUFAs (essential fatty acids, EFA), saturated and monounsaturated (non EFA) fatty acids on the growth of tumor cells and changes in their endocannabinoid content. It was observed that both arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid (as representative of ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids, respectively) inhibited the growth of human glioblastoma (T98G) and breast cancer (MCF7) cells, respectively while palmitic acid and oleic acid enhanced their growth. AA enhanced arachidonoylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA) levels in T98G cells without any effect on this indice in MCF-7 cells, while EPA was ineffective. These results indicate that PUFAs differentially modulate not only cell proliferation but also the activity of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in these cancer cells.

PMID:

 

24138715

 

[PubMed – as supplied by publisher]