Utilization of long-chain free fatty acids and glucose by human leukemic blast cells.

We have studied the utilization of free fatty acid and glucose by human leukemic blast cells. Palmitate was both incorporated into complex cellular lipids, primarily phospholipids and triglycerides, and oxidized to CO2. The predominant phospholipid synthesized was phosphatidylcholine. Only a small proportion of the incoming fatty acid was modified structurally before incorporation into lipid esters. After incubation with [1-14 C]palmitate, 91% of the radioactivity recovered in cell lipids remained in fatty acids containing 16 carbon atoms. Studies with labeled glucose revealed little de novo synthesis of fatty acid, and the majority of the radioactivity from glucose was located in the water-soluble fraction after saponification of the esters. We conclude that the free fatty acids contained in the extracellular fluid provide much of the fatty acid for required cellular lipid synthesis in human leukemic blast cells. Since there is little elongation of incoming palmitate before incorporation into cellular lipids, it may be possible to alter the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids by changing the proportion of the various free fatty acids available to the leukemic cells.     

Membrane lipids of hepatic tissue. I. Neutral lipids from subcellular fractions of liver and hepatoma 7288CTC

Enriched subcellular fractions of nuclei, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plasma membrane, and cytosol were prepared from liver and hepatoma 7288CTC taken from male inbred BUF rats. Purity was established by marker enzyme activities and distribution of DNA, RNA, sialic acids, total phospholipids, and cholesterol. The subcellular fractions of hepatoma differed from those of liver: 5'-Nucleotidase activity was elevated in ER and mitochondria, cytosol RNA was increased, and cholesterol was elevated in all hepatoma subcellular fractions. Neutral lipid classes of hepatoma subcellular fractions differed quantitatively from those of liver: Hepatoma nuclei and mitochondria contained elevated levels of free fatty acids (FFA) and triglycerides (TG). Generally, the fatty acid profiles of FFA, TG, and sterol esters from hepatoma subcellular fractions were more uniform and showed less organelle specificity than did liver. Hepatoma FFA and TG contained lower percentages of palmitate and higher percentages of stearate in all subcellular fractions than did liver. The sterol esters from most hepatoma subcellular fractions compared to those from liver were characterized by much higher levels of long-chain fatty acids of 20 carbon atoms or longer. The oleate-to-vaccenate ratio in FFA of liver subcellular fractions exhibited some specificity, but not that of hepatoma subcellular fractions. The oleate-to-vaccenate ratio in the acyl chains of liver and hepatoma TG did not reveal organelle specificity.     

Disaccharide esters screened for inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-alpha release are new anti-cancer agents.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a proinflammatory cytokine playing a part in various pathological states. Non-toxic inhibitors of TNF-alpha release are thought to be promising agents for cancer prevention. We found that the acetone fraction of the tobacco leaf surface lipid containing glucose esters and sucrose esters inhibited both TNF-alpha release from BALB/3T3 and KATO III cells induced by okadaic acid and tumor promotion by okadaic acid on mouse skin initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Next, we investigated the inhibition of TNF-alpha release with synthetic disaccharide esters, such as 6,6'-di-O-alkanoyl-alpha, alpha-trehaloses (6,6'-diester-trehaloses), 4,4'-di-O-alkanoyl-alpha, alpha-trehaloses (4,4'-diester-trehaloses) and 6,6'-diamino-6,6'-dideoxy-N,N'-dialkanoyl-alpha, alpha-trehaloses (6,6'-diamide-trehaloses) bearing fatty acids of various chain lengths, and n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside as a disaccharide monoester. 6,6'-Diester-trehaloses and 4,4'-diester-trehaloses of C8 to C12 fatty acids, 6,6'-diamide-trehaloses of C8 to C14 fatty acids, and n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside all inhibited TNF-alpha release in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 values are 7.4-14.8 microM for 6,6'-diester-trehaloses (C8 to C12), 14.6-21.6 microM 4,4'-diester-trehaloses (C8 to C12), 2.9-15.0 microM for 6,6'-diamide-trehaloses (C8 to C14) and 23 microM for dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside. Both 6,6'-di-O-octanoyl-alpha, alpha-trehalose (C8, designated as SS555) and n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside (C12) inhibited tumor promotion by okadaic acid on mouse skin initiated with DMBA. Percentages of tumor-bearing mice in week 15 of tumor promotion were reduced from 60.0 to 13.3 with SS555, and to 46.7 with n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside. Moreover, SS555 inhibited TNF-alpha gene expression mediated through inhibition of AP-1 activation, but not NF-kappa B activation. This paper reports that diester-trehaloses of C8 to C12 fatty acids and mimics of disaccharide monoesters such as n-dodecyl-beta-D-maltoside appear to be potential cancer-preventive agents of a new type.     

Activity of cholesterol-esterifying enzymes from rat liver cytosol is affected by malignant growth

Three cholesterol-esterifying enzymes purified recently to apparent homogeneity from rat liver cytosol (Hradec, et al: J Chromatogr B 681: 55-62, 1996) showed in vitro an absolute requirement for natural mixtures of phosphatidylcholines. These phospholipids may be replaced by the addition of minute quantities of serum from cancer patients but not by that of healthy individuals. Individual enzymes showed different sensitivities in this respect. They utilized only phosphatidylcholines containing saturated fatty acids as substrates but not those containing unsaturated fatty acids. As revealed by high-performance liquid chromatography, products of the esterification were esters with saturated C12-C18 fatty acids (including odd-numbered) in comparable proportions. If cancer serum was added as the only source of substrate, enzymes synthesized predominantly cholesteryl 14-methylhexadecanoate. The enzymatic activity and nature of reaction products thus depended on the availability of particular phosphatidylcholines present in the cancer serum but not (or in lower quantities) in the serum of healthy individuals. These results may be of significance for further studies on metabolic changes accompanying the growth of malignant tumours.     

Growth-inhibition effects of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and their methyl esters on transplanted tumors in mice

We investigated the effects of oleic acid and linoleic acid on transplanted Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and Ehrlich solid carcinoma in ACR mice. Both acids significantly prolonged the life spans of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice and inhibited the growth of Ehrlich solid carcinoma in mice compared with the findings in untreated control mice. Methyl esters of these acids also prolonged the survival of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice, but they were less effective in lengthening the survival of mice given transplants of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma. In addition, gas-chromatography analysis of tumor cell lipids showed that appreciable changes occurred in the fatty acid composition of the tumor cell grown in mice treated with oleic acid or linoleic acid. Linoleic acid caused more pronounced alterations in fatty acid composition of tumor cell lipids than did oleic acid, a feature that parallels the intensity of the cytotoxicity potential of the two free fatty acids. These results suggest that (a) the free carboxyl group of free fatty acids plays a role in killing tumor cells and (b) the modification of the fatty acid composition of tumor cells also correlates with the antitumor effects of oleic and linoleic acids. In addition, these results indicate that free fatty acids may be of tumor-oriented distribution; as a consequence, free fatty acids selectively inhibit the growth of tumor cells.     

Fatty acids and risk of prostate cancer in a nested case-control study in male smokers.

There is some evidence that alpha-linolenic acid might be positively related to prostate cancer risk. Associations between serum fatty acid composition as well as fatty acid intakes and prostate cancer risk were examined in the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study. The cohort included 29,133 male smokers aged 50-69 years. During 5-8 years of follow-up, 246 prostate cancer cases were diagnosed. One control was selected and matched by age (+/- 1 month) for each case from the cohort subjects alive and free of prostate cancer at the time the case was diagnosed. This study included 198 case-control pairs with baseline serum sample available for both. Fatty acids of serum cholesterol esters were measured as a percentage of total fatty acids, using capillary gas chromatography. Intakes of fatty acids were assessed from a validated self-administered dietary questionnaire. Serum and dietary fatty acids had no consistent association with prostate cancer risk. Serum alpha-linolenic acid was not related to prostate cancer risk. Twofold risk was found in the highest quartile of serum myristic acid compared with the lowest quartile (odds ratio, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-3.64). alpha-Tocopherol supplementation modified the association between serum linoleic acid and prostate cancer risk (P for interaction 0.03); odds ratio was 0.17 (95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.68) in the highest quartile of serum linoleic acid compared with the lowest quartile in men who received alpha-tocopherol, whereas no association was found in men who did not receive alpha-tocopherol. In conclusion, we found no overall association between serum or dietary alpha-linolenic acid or any other unsaturated fatty acid and prostate cancer risk, but high serum linoleic acid was associated with lower risk in men supplemented with alpha-tocopherol. High serum myristic acid associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.     

Abnormalities in plasma and red blood cell fatty acid profiles of patients with colorectal cancer.

We evaluated total plasma fatty acid concentrations and percentages, and the fatty acid profiles for the different plasma lipid fractions and red blood cell lipids, in 17 patients with untreated colorectal cancer and 12 age-matched controls with no malignant diseases, from the same geographical area. Cancer patients had significantly lower total plasma concentrations of saturated, monounsaturated and essential fatty acids and their polyunsaturated derivatives than healthy controls; when the values were expressed as relative percentages, cancer patients had significantly higher proportions of oleic acid and lower levels of linoleic acid than controls. With regard to lipid fractions, cancer patients had higher proportions of oleic acid in plasma phospholipids, triglycerides and cholesterol esters, and lower percentages of linoleic acid and its derivatives. On the other hand, alpha-linolenic acid was significantly lower in triglycerides from cancer patients and tended to be lower in phospholipids. Its derivatives also tended to be lower in phospholipids and triglycerides from cancer patients. Our findings suggest that colorectal cancer patients present abnormalities in plasma and red blood cell fatty acid profiles characterized by lower amounts of most saturated, monounsaturated and essential fatty acids and their polyunsaturated derivatives, especially members of the n-6 series, than their healthy age-matched counterparts. These changes are probably due to metabolic changes caused by the illness per se but not to malnutrition.     

Uptake of plasma lipids by tissue-isolated hepatomas 7288CTC and 7777 in vivo.

The uptake of myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), palmitoleic (C:16,N-7), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1,N-9), linoleic (C18:2,N-6) and arachidonic (C20:4,N-6) acids from plasma free fatty acids (FFA), triglycerides (TGA), phospholipids (PL) and cholesterol esters (CE) was measured in tissue-isolated hepatomas 7288CTC and 7777 in vivo. Adult tumour-bearing Buffalo rats were fed a normal chow diet ad libitum and were subjected to darkness from 1800 to 0600 h. Arterial plasma levels of FFA, TGA, PL and CE were increased during the dark period without change in fatty acid compositions. Arteriovenous difference measurements of tumour lipid uptake were performed between 0600 and 0900 h and included both high (dark) and low (light) arterial blood lipid concentrations. The rate of lipid uptake from each lipid class was directly dependent on the rate of supply of the lipid to the tumour. The efficiency of uptake, however, depended on the type of plasma lipid and the tumour. During one pass of arterial blood, hepatoma 7288CTC (n = 5 to 13) removed 46, 33, 36 and 31%, and hepatoma 7777 (n = 7 to 9) removed 48, 50, 52 and 49% of the fatty acids supplied in FFA, TGA, PL and CE, respectively. Perfusion of tissue-isolated tumours in situ with donor blood containing plasma free (1-14C)palmitic acid showed that 14C-palmitic acid was removed from the arterial blood and was incorporated into tumour lipids and that 14CO2 was released into the tumour venous blood. Uptake of the seven fatty acids over a 24 h period was greatest from PL greater than TGA greater than FFA greater than CE and was estimated to total 18.1 +/- 3.5 mg fatty acids g-1 for hepatoma 7288CTC and 25.9 +/- 3.5 mg fatty acids g-1 for hepatoma 7777. Both hepatoma 7288CTC and 7777 grew at a rate of about 1 g day-1 and contained 13.4 +/- 2.5 and 10.6 +/- 3.9 mg of these 7 fatty acids g-1 tumour wet weight, respectively. We conclude that these two tumours obtain all of the fatty acids needed for daily growth from host arterial blood.     

Disaccharide Esters Screened for Inhibition of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Release Are New Anti-cancer Agents

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a proinflammatory cytokine playing a part in various pathological states. Non-toxic inhibitors of TNF-α release are thought to be promising agents for cancer prevention. We found that the acetone fraction of the tobacco leaf surface lipid containing glucose esters and sucrose esters inhibited both TNF-α release from BALB/3T3 and KATO III cells induced by okadaic acid and tumor promotion by okadaic acid on mouse skin initiated with 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA). Next, we investigated the inhibition of TNF-α release with synthetic disaccharide esters, such as 6,6′-di-0-alkanoyl-α,α-trehaloses (6,6′-diester-trehaloses), 4,4′-di-0-alkanoyl-α,α-trehaloses (4,4′-diester-trehaloses) and 6,6′-diamino-6,6′-dideoxy-N, N′-dial-kanoyl-α,α-trehaloses (6,6′-diamide-trehaloses) bearing fatty acids of various chain lengths, and n- dodecyl-β-D-maltoside as a disaccharide monoester. 6,6′-Diester-trehaloses and 4,4′-diester-treha-loses of C₈ to C₁₄ fatty acids, 6,6′-diamide-trehaloses of C₈ to C₁₄ fatty acids, and n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside all inhibited TNF-α release in a dose-dependent manner. The IC₅₀ values are 7.4-14.8 μM for 6,6′-diester-trehaloses (C₈ to C₁₂), 14.6-21.6 μM 4,4′-diester-trehaloses (C₈ to C₁₂), 2.9-15.0 μM for 6,6′-diamide-trehaloses (C₈ to C₁₄) and 23 μM for dodecyl-β-D-maltoside. Both 6,6′-di-O-octanoyl-α,α-trehalose (C₈, designated as SS555) and n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside (C₁₂) inhibited tumor promotion by okadaic acid on mouse skin initiated with DMBA. Percentages of tumor-bearing mice in week 15 of tumor promotion were reduced from 60.0 to 13.3 with SS555, and to 46.7 with n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside. Moreover, SS555 inhibited TNF-α gene expression mediated through inhibition of AP-1 activation, but not NF-αB activation. This paper reports that diester-trehaloses of C₈ to C₁₂ fatty acids and mimics of disaccharide monoesters such as n-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside appear to be potential cancer-preventive agents of a new type.     

Adipose fatty acids and cancers of the breast,prostate and colon: An ecological study

Animal and ecological studies suggest that linoleic acid intake is related to breast-cancer incidence. Analytical epidemiologic studies, however, do not support such findings. The primary objective of our ecological study was to investigate the association between breast-cancer incidence and linoleic acid status across European countries. In addition, other fatty acids and cancer sites were studied. Mean fatty acid composition of adipose tissue samples in 11 centres from 8 European countries and Israel served as indicators of exposure of the population. Figures on cancer incidence for the respective or comparable regions were obtained from published data. N-6 fatty acids in adipose tissue ranged from 10.4 in Helsinki to 24.6 g/100 g fatty acids in Jerusalem. N-6 fatty acids were not associated significantly with breast, colon or prostate cancer. Cancers of the breast and colon were associated negatively with cis-mono-unsaturated fatty acids and positively with trans fatty acids. Despite a large range in intake, we found no evidence of a positive association between n-6 fatty acid status and breast cancer, but associations were observed between other fatty acids and cancer. Differences in linoleic acid intake cannot explain risk differences in breast-cancer incidence between affluent countries, while associations of other fatty acids with cancer rates may reflect cultural differences. Int. J. Cancer 72:587–591, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Conjugated diene and trans fatty acids in tissue lipids of rats fed an hepatocarcinogenic choline-devoid diet

Groups of male Fischer-344 rats were fed two pairs of semi-purified choline-devoid and choline-supplemented diets, one set containing 5% corn oil and 10% partially hydrogenated fat, and the other only corn oil (15%). Analyses were performed on lipids extracted from whole liver, liver nuclei and adipose tissue of the rats. The analyses consisted of quantitation of conjugated dienes by UV spectrophotometry, separation of fatty acids with conjugated dienes by HPLC and quantitation of trans fatty acids by IR spectrophotometry. Conjugated dienes and conjugated diene and trans fatty acids were observed in adipose tissue total lipids, at concentrations that reflected those in the diets fed. The same was true of trans fatty acids in liver lipids. However, no conjugated dienes, or fatty acids with conjugated dienes, were detected in liver lipids of rats fed the diets formulated with only corn oil. In contrast, conjugated dienes were detected in total and neutral lipids, but not in phospholipids, of whole liver and liver nuclei of rats fed the diets formulated with partially hydrogenated fat. The neutral lipids contained fatty acids with conjugated dienes that eluted with the retention time of conjugated diene fatty acids, present in the dietary partially hydrogenated fat. It is concluded that a choline-devoid diet, which is hepatocarcinogenic in the rat, does not induce a peroxidation of liver cell membrane lipids, and that not only trans fatty acids, but also fatty acids with conjugated dienes present in a partially hydrogenated fat, are absorbed and assimilated in rat tissue lipids.     

Comparison of solutol HS 15, cremophor EL and novel ethoxylated fatty acid surfactants as multidrug resistance modification agents

Some well-known fatty acid ester surfactants, e.g., Cremophor EL and Solutol HS 15, are modulators of multidrug resistance in vitro and in vivo. Because they are pelydisperse, and their active component(s) have not been identified, the therapeutic potential of such surfactants is unclear. To better define the active components of Solutol HS 15 and to make more potent surfactant multidrug resistance modulators, highly purified C-18 fatty acids were esterified with ethylene oxide at 5–200 molar ratios. Unexpectedly, ethylene oxide esters of pure 12-hydroxy stearic acid, the major components of Solutol HS 15, displayed negligible resistance modification activity compared with Solutol HS 15 itself or to stearic and oleic acid esters synthesized under identical conditions. Since oleic acid esters appeared to have good activity, a series of these compounds was prepared to determine the optimal ethylene oxide J. fatty acid ratio. The optimal ratio was found to be 20 mole ethylene oxide: I mole fatty acid, with a steep decline in activity for products made with ratios above and below the optimum. The most active oleic acid ester, designated CRL 1337, was 8.4-fold as potent as Solutol HS 15 and over 19-fold as potent as Cremophor EL in promoting rhodamine 123 accumulation in multidrug-resistant KB 8–5–11 cells in vitro. Our results show that the structure of the hydrophobic domain (fatty acid) of surfactants as well as its hydrophile-lipophile balance are critical in determining the potency of surfactants as reversing agents. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Medium chain fatty acid ethyl esters – activation of antimicrobial effects by Malassezia enzymes

Free medium and short chain fatty acids are known to have broad antimicrobial activity. However, their practical use in topical therapy is limited by their intensive smell and acidity. Surprisingly, a nearly identical antimicrobial effect was found with the ethyl ester derivatives of these fatty acids, but only against Malassezia (M.) yeast, not against Candida spp. Obviously, these esters are hydrolysed by M. enzymes, thus generating a selective activation of antimicrobial activity especially in areas well populated with these yeast (‘targeting’). Octanoic acid ethyl ester (CAS 106‐32‐1) was found to be most suitable. In an agar dilution test, the minimal inhibitory concentrations against M. globosa, M. pachydermatis and M. sympodialis, respectively, ranged between ~5 and 10 mmol l^?1 after 10 days of incubation. The effect started immediately and was not delayed by other lipid sources applied simultaneously. Based on these data, fatty acid monoesters may represent a new therapeutic concept in M.‐associated diseases.     

Fatty Acid Composition of Glycerophosphatides Obtained From Two Renal Adenocarcinoma Tissues

Glycerophosphatides obtained from two renal adenocarcinoma tissuesand one kidney tissue were examined for their fatty acid compositionand for the positional distribution of fatty acids in theirmolecules. Characterization of fatty acids in those tissuesby a gas liquid chromatography-chemical ionization mass spectrometry-computersystem showed no consistent specific differences between renaladenocarcinoma and kidney. However, the positional distributionof fatty acids in the glycerophosphatides was found to be nonspecificin renal adenocarcinoma but highly specific in the kidney. Furthermore,the fatty acid distribution patterns of phosphatidylethanolamineand phosphatidylcholine of the same cancer tissue differed significantly.     

Intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and risk of ovarian cancer

Objectives

Limited experimental evidence suggests that omega-3 polyunsaturated (n-3) fatty acids inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells in vitro, whereas omega-6 polyunsaturated (n-6) fatty acids have been shown to promote carcinogenesis, but epidemiological studies to date have been inconclusive. Our aim was to evaluate the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids in ovarian carcinogenesis.

Methods

Participants in the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (1,366 cases and 1,414 population controls) self-completed risk factor and food frequency questionnaires. Logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95?% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

We found no association between intake of total n-3 fatty acids from foods, or the individual n-3 fatty acids—alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic acids—and ovarian cancer risk. High intake of total n-6 fatty acids was inversely associated with risk (OR for highest vs. lowest category 0.78, 95?% CI 0.60–1.00, p-trend 0.04); however, the association was restricted to n-6 fatty acids from avocado, vegetables, and nuts. Neither higher intake of the individual n-6 fatty acids nor the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids was associated with ovarian cancer risk. We found no evidence that risk varied by supplement use.

Conclusions

Our data provide no evidence of a protective role for n-3 fatty acids in ovarian carcinogenesis. The benefit, if any, of higher intake of n-6 fatty acids is due to general properties of the food sources, rather than due to the n-6 fatty acids per se.     

Phase I clinical study of fish oil fatty acid capsules for patients with cancer cachexia: cancer and leukemia group B study 9473.

The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose and dose-limiting toxicities of fish oil fatty acid capsules containing omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters. Twenty-two patients with neoplastic disease not amenable to curative therapy who had lost 2% of body weight over a previous 1 month time period were given an escalating dose of fish oil fatty acids. The maximum tolerated dose was found to be 0.3 g/kg per day of this preparation. This means that a 70-kg patient can generally tolerate up to 21 1-g capsules/day containing 13.1 g of eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid, the two major omega-3 fatty acids. Dose-limiting toxicity was gastrointestinal, mainly diarrhea, and a poorly described toxicity designated as "unable to tolerate in esophagus or stomach." A patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia taking the fish oil provided an unusual opportunity to perform a detailed biochemical study of the effect of fish oil capsules on the lipids of malignant cells at several sequential time points in treatment. Studies of the malignant lymphocytes, serum, and whole blood of this one patient revealed an increase in eicosapentaenoic acid, the major component of the fish oil capsules, during fish oil capsule treatment. This study provides a scientific basis for the selection of omega-3 fatty acid doses for future studies in cancer. The maximum tolerated dose found is considerably higher than anticipated from published studies of many human diseases. The observation of a modification of the lipids of leukemic cells, serum, and blood in a patient with chronic leukemia provides a biochemical basis for a possible effect of fish oil supplements on cancer cachexia and tumor growth.     

Lipid compositions of intracellular membranes isolated from rat liver nodules in Wistar rats

The mevalonate pathway gives rise to important end products for the regulation of growth and resistance to oxidative stress and is, consequently, of importance in carcinogenesis. In this study liver nodules were produced in Wistar rats by intermittent feeding with dietary 2-acetylaminofluorene, and the lipid compositions of isolated microsomes, mitochondria, and lysosomes were examined. The phospholipid compositions of these subfractions were unchanged compared to normal hepatic tissue, but the fatty acid patterns were altered, particularly in microsomes. An increase in the content of palmitic acid and a decrease in that of stearic acid were noted. The pattern of fatty acyl moieties on carbon atoms 1 and 2 of the glycerol backbone of phospholipids was unchanged in nodular tissue compared to normal liver. The amount of dolichol was significantly higher in microsomes and mitochondria, but not in lysosomes, and the relative amounts of longer polyisoprenoid compounds were increased in the liver nodules. The relative concentration of esterified dolichol was decreased and an enrichment in saturated fatty acids in this fraction could be observed. The cholesterol concentration was found to be lower in microsomes, but was unchanged in mitochondria and lysosomes, and the normally low concentration of cholesteryl esters was elevated somewhat in microsomes and lysosomes. The ubiquinone content of liver nodular mitochondria was unchanged, but increased 7-fold in microsomes and 2-fold in lysosomes. The alterations found in the lipid composition of liver nodules are significant and have functional implications in many cellular processes of proposed importance for the carcinogenic process, i.e., protein glycosylation cholesterogenesis, regulation of the mevalonate pathway, cellular oxidation-reduction state, and resistance to oxidative stress.     

Comparison of lipid profiles of Malassezia pachydermatis strains isolated from dogs with otitis externa and without clinical symptoms of disease

Malassezia pachydermatis can cause infections of the skin and mucous membranes, especially in animals. It becomes a problem also in medicine. It is considered that metabolic disorders as well as hormonal and immunological status of the host promote diseases caused by M. pachydermatis. Here we consider whether specific features of fungi could also favour infections. We checked whether there are differences in lipid profiles between strains obtained from dogs with otitis externa and strains obtained from healthy dogs. Lipid profiles were determined using thin layer chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. All analyses were carried out on 32 strains derived from dogs with otitis externa and 31 strains isolated from dogs without symptoms of disease. The results show that strains isolated from dogs without symptoms of otitis externa are characterised by a higher content of fatty acids. They contain significantly more behenic and lignoceric acids on medium without addition of lipids, and more oleic acid and total monounsaturated fatty acids on medium with lipids supplementation. These strains have also a higher content of esters of ergosterol and triglycerides. Data obtained show differences which may be specific features of M. pachydermatis‐specific strains related to the ability of infection, which could be not directly related of the host condition.     

Effects of C18 fatty acids on breast carcinoma cells in culture

The relative cytotoxic potential of C18 carbon fatty acids on human breast tumor cells was determined. The saturated (18:0) and monounsaturated (cis C18:1n-9) fatty acids exhibited no cytotoxic effects, while cis polyunsaturated fatty acids (C18:2n-6, C18:3n-6, C18:3n-3, C20:4n-6, C20:5n-3 and C22:6n-3) were cytotoxic dose-dependently. Fatty acids with 3, 4 and 5 double bonds were more effective than those with 2 and 6 double bonds. Cis, but not trans, isomers of C18:2n-6 were cytotoxic. The cells did not demonstrate resistance to the cytotoxic effects induced by the fatty acids at any concentrations. It is concluded that in these cells the cytotoxic potential of the fatty acids depended on the number, the position and the geometric form of the double bond in the fatty acid carbon chain.     

Identification of pre-diagnostic lipid sets associated with liver cancer risk using untargeted lipidomics and chemical set analysis: A nested case-control study within the ATBC cohort

In pre-disposed individuals, a reprogramming of the hepatic lipid metabolism may support liver cancer initiation. We conducted a high-resolution mass spectrometry based untargeted lipidomics analysis of pre-diagnostic serum samples from a nested case-control study (219 liver cancer cases and 219 controls) within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study. Out of 462 annotated lipids, 158 (34.2%) were associated with liver cancer risk in a conditional logistic regression analysis at a false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05. A chemical set enrichment analysis (ChemRICH) and co-regulatory set analysis suggested that 22/28 lipid classes and 47/83 correlation modules were significantly associated with liver cancer risk (FDR <0.05). Strong positive associations were observed for monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), triacylglycerols (TAGs) and phosphatidylcholines (PCs) having MUFA acyl chains. Negative associations were observed for sphingolipids (ceramides and sphingomyelins), lysophosphatidylcholines, cholesterol esters and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) containing TAGs and PCs. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase enzyme 1 (SCD1), a rate limiting enzyme in fatty acid metabolism and ceramidases seems to be critical in this reprogramming. In conclusion, our study reports pre-diagnostic lipid changes that provide novel insights into hepatic lipid metabolism reprogramming may contribute to a pro-cell growth and anti-apoptotic tissue environment and, in turn, support liver cancer initiation.