Dietary Manipulation of Precursor Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Modulates Eicosanoid and Endocanabinoid Synthesis: A Potential Tool to Control Tumor Development

M.E. PASQUALINI; M.A. BERRA; M.P. YURAWECZ; REPOSSI G; A.R. EYNARD

CURRENT NUTRITION & FOOD SCIENCE

Bentham Sciences Publishers

Lugar: Oak Park, IL , USA ; Año: 2008 vol. 4 p. 161 - 175

1573-4013

Abstract: The amount and type of dietary fats represent risk factors for several cancers. Essential PUFAs serve asprecursors of several biologically active molecules, mainly endocanabinoids and eicosanoids, which participate intumorigenic processes. However, their mechanisms still remain unclear. This article reviews the current knowledge andexperimental results on the effects of dietary manipulation of n–3, n–6 essential fatty acids (EFA) including theconjugated linoleic acid ( CLA), on eicosanoid and endocanabinoid production, and their correlation with cancerdevelopment. The oxidative pathways of AA when it is released from phospholipids as Lipoxygenases (LOXs),cyclooxygenases (COX) and Cytochrome P-450s (CYP.450) to eicosanoids, and the non-oxidative pathway toendocannabinoid synthesis are summarized. COXs, LOXs, and CYP 450s, release endocannabinoids, thereby generatingoxygenated products that resemble eicosanoids with the slight difference that endocannabinoid-derived products retainamide or ester functionalities at C1.Competition between n–3 and n–6 FA families gives rise to a variation in the ratio ofthe eicosanoid products, but the significance of these changes are as yet poorly understood. Finally, we propose that theapparently contradictory results in the field of eicosanoids , endocannabionids and cancer should be considered due todifficulties arising from the lack of nutritional evaluation.