Cigarette smoke negatively and dose-dependently affects the biosynthetic pathway of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid series in human mammary epithelial cells

• Published in: Lipids 2004-07, Vol.39 (7), p.633-637
• Main Authors: Marangoni, F, Colombo, C, De Angelis, L, Gambaro, V, Agostoni, C, Giovannini, M, Galli, C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Breast milk; Cigarettes; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; epithelium; Fatty Acid Desaturases - antagonists & inhibitors; Fatty Acid Desaturases - metabolism; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - biosynthesis; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - chemistry; Female; Humans; Liquid chromatography; mammary glands; Mammary Glands, Human - cytology; Mammary Glands, Human - metabolism; mothers; omega-3 fatty acids; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Pregnancy; Smoke; smoking (habit); Smoking - adverse effects; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - adverse effects
• ISSN: 0024-4201; 1558-9307
• DOI: 10.1007/s11745-004-1276-5

Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been associated with a reduced content of n−3 long‐chain PUFA (LC‐PUFA) in breast milk, thereby reducing the intake of key nutrients by the infants. We postulated that the mammary gland is affected by maternal smoking in the process of n−3 LC‐PUFA secretion into milk. This prompted us to investigate the effects of cigarette smoke on the synthesis of n−3 LC‐PUFA in vitro by using a line of healthy epithelial cells from the human mammary gland, MCF‐10A. Cells were exposed to cigarette smoke under controlled conditions by adding to the medium aliquots of horse serum containing smoke components, as analyzed by GC‐MS. The major findings concern the inhibition of both the conversion of the precursor 14C‐ALA (α‐linolenic acid) to n−3 LC‐PUFA and of the Δ5 desaturation step (assessed by HPLC analysis with radiodetection of n−3 FAME) following exposure to minimal doses of smoke‐enriched serum, and the dose‐dependent relationship of these effects. The data indicate that exposure to cigarette smoke negatively affects the synthesis of n−3 LC‐PUFA from the precursor in mammary gland cells.