Increased dietary levels of α‑linoleic acid inhibit mammary tumor growth and metastasis

VARA MESSLER M; PASQUALINI ME; COMBA A; SILVA RA; BUCCELLATI C; TRENTI A; TREVISI L; EYNARD AR; SALA A; BOLEGO C; VALENTICH MA

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION

DR DIETRICH STEINKOPFF VERLAG

Año: 2015

1436-6207

Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether α-linolenic acid (ALA ω-3 fatty acid) enriched diet affects growth parameters when applied to a syngeneic model of mammary carcinoma.Materials and methods BALB/c mice were divided and fed with: 1) a chia oil diet, rich in ALA or 2) a corn oil diet, rich in linoleic acid (LA ω-6 fatty acid). Mice were subcutaneously inoculated with a tumor cell line LM3, derived from a murine mammary adenocarcinoma. Results After 35 days, tumor incidence, weight, volume andmetastasis number were lower in the ALA-fed mice, while tumor latency time was higher, and the release of pro-tumor metabolites derived from ω-6 fatty acids decreased in the tumor. Compared to the control group, a lower number ofmitosis, a higher number of apoptotic bodies and higher T-lymphocyte infiltration were consistently observed in the ALA group. An ALA-rich diet decreased the estrogen receptor (ER) α expression, a recognized breast cancer promotor while showing an opposite effect on ERβ in tumor lysates. Conclusion These data support the anticancer effect of an ALA-enriched diet, which might be used as a dietary strategy in breast cancer prevention.