CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The Salvia hispanica L., whose common name is Chia, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Chia seeds have been investigated and recommended due to their high levels of essential fatty acids with the highest proportion of omega-3 fatty acid (ω3-FA) compared to other natural sources known to date. It is well known that the consumption of ω3-FA can slow or stop the growth of cancer cells. This work contains the preliminary results of our study about the effects of Chia oil (ChO) in a murine mammary gland adenocarcinoma by micro-X ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) analysis. The histological and multielemental analysis by micro-XRF has been combined to infer information about the mechanisms related with the anti-tumorigenic actions of ω3-FA. It is an experimental study in which 24 mice BALB/C were used, randomly distributed between two dietetic groups: 12 with normal diet (control) and 12 with diet rich in ChO. Three months after starting the diet, they were inoculated with mammary gland cells with moderate metastatic capacity (M3). The animals were slaughtered 45-50 days after inoculation. Two adjacent cuts were made to each sample, one of 6 micrometers for conventional histological analysis and another of 30 micrometers placed in a Kapton film for measurement with micro XRF. Micro XRF measurements were performed at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) in Brazil. Variation of the values of certain chemical elements of the samples treated with ChO with respect to the control was observed. Calcium (Ca) and Zinc (Zn) showed significant decreases in samples with ChO. Phosphorus (P) was located in regions of tumor cells. The results were analyzed by t-test. The distribution and concentration of Ca, Zn and P in samples can help us explain the anti-tumorigenic role of ω3-FA as biomarkers of metabolic functions.

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