Does enteral nutrition of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids promote oxidative stress and tumour growth in ductal pancreatic cancer?

• Published in: Prostaglandins, leukotrienes and essential fatty acids leukotrienes and essential fatty acids, 2006, Vol.74 (1), p.67-74
• Main Authors: Gregor, J.I., Heukamp, I., Kilian, M., Kiewert, C., Schimke, I., Kristiansen, G., Walz, M.K., Jacobi, C.A., Wenger, F.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0952-3278; 1532-2823
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plefa.2005.08.007

Type and composition of dietary fat intake is supposed to play an important role in carcinogenesis. Thus we investigated the effects of n-3, n-6 and n-9 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on oxidative stress (lipidperoxidation) and tumour growth in ductal pancreatic cancer. Ninety male hamsters were randomized into 6 groups (gr.) ( n = 15 ) and allocated to 3 main dietary categories: gr. 1 and 2 received a standard high fat diet (SHF, rich in n-6 PUFA), while gr. 3 and 4 were fed with a diet containing a mixture of n-3, n-6 and n-9 PUFA (SMOF) and gr. 5 and 6 had free access to a diet rich in n-3 PUFA (FISH-OIL). Gr. 1, 3 and 5 received weekly subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of 10 mg N-nitrosobis-2-oxypropylamine (BOP)/kg body weight in order to induce ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Healthy control gr. 2, 4 and 6 were treated with 0.5 ml 0.9% sodium chloride s.c. After 32 weeks all animals were sacrificed. Removed pancreata were weighed and analysed histologically and biochemically. Activities of glutathionperoxidase (GSH-Px), superoxiddismutase (SOD) and levels of lipidperoxidation were measured in samples of pancreatic carcinoma as well as in tumour-free pancreatic tissue. While different diets did not significantly alter the overall incidence of histologically proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the number of macroscopically visible tumours was decreased in the FISH-OIL-gr. Different diets did not significantly influence the incidence of histologically proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma. However, administration of a diet rich in n-3 PUFA (FISH-OIL) resulted in a decrease of macroscopically visible tumours, thus indicating its beneficial effects in respect to attenuation of tumour growth.