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Research: HARDMAN and colleagues,
Listed in Issue 72
Abstract
HARDMAN and colleagues, Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA, hardman@uthscsa.edu, investigated whether a diet supplemented with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (the type of fat found in fish oil ) could enhance the chemotoxic effects of doxorubicin (DOX) on cancer xenografts in mice.
Background
Omega-3 PUFAs have been used to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells in culture and in animal models and to increase the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapeutic drugs.
Methodology
An AIN-76 diet containing 5% corn oil (CO) was modified to contain 3% w/w fish oil concentrate (FOC) and 2% CO to test whether a clinically applicable amount of FOC was beneficial during DOX treatment of cancer xenografts in mice.
Results
Compared with the diet containing 5% CO, consumption of FOC increased omega-3 PUFAs and lipid peroxidation in tumour and liver, significantly decreased the ratio of glutathione peroxidase (GP) activity to superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (a putative indicator of increased oxidative stress) in tumour but not in liver, and significantly decreased tumour growth rate . The decreased GP:SOD ratio, indicating an altered redox state, in the tumours of FOC-fed mice was significantly correlated with decreased tumour growth rate . Results of assays of body weight change, blood cell counts, and number of micronuclei in peripheral erythrocytes indicated that the toxicity of DOX to host mice was not increased in mice fed FOC.
Conclusion
A small amount of FOC was found to increase the effectiveness of DOX [in reducing the growth rates of cancer xenografts in mice] without increasing its toxicity to the host mice. The authors state that these positive results justify clinical testing of FOC in conjunction with cancer chemotherapy.
References
Hardman WE et al. Three percent dietary fish oil concentrate increased efficacy of doxorubicin against MDA-MB 231 breast cancer xenografts. Clinical Cancer Research 7 (7): 2041-9. Jul 2001.
