Promotion of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumorigenesis by high dietary fat in the rat: possible role of intercellular communication

The effect of high levels of dietary fat on the promotion phase of rat mammary tumorigenesis and the effect of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids on metabolic cooperation in hamster cells were examined. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were given iv injections of 5 mg 7,12-dimethylbenza]anthracene (DMBA) and subsequently placed on 20% high-fat (HF) and 4.5% corn oil control (CF) diets. Rats treated with DMBA and fed HF diet for the entire duration of the experiment developed more tumors with shorter latency than rats fed CF diet for the entire experiment. Rats fed HF diet for 3 weeks at different times after DMBA treatment showed similar, enhanced mammary tumor development. Lengthening the duration of HF diet treatment (0, 3, 6, 16 wk) increased mammary tumor development, suggesting a time dose-response relationship. Removal of the HF diet treatment partially reversed its stimulatory effects on tumor development. These results indicate that dietary fat acts as a classical tumor promoter to enhance mammary tumorigenesis. The influence of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids on metabolic cooperation between 6-thioguanine-sensitive (6-TGS) and 6-thioguanine-resistant (6-TGr) Chinese hamster V79 cells was examined. Linoleic acid, palmitoleic acid, and arachidonic acid significantly increased the recovery of 6-TGr cells at noncytotoxic concentrations. Stearic acid, palmitic acid, and arachadic acid had no effect on the recovery of 6-TGr cells at either cytotoxic or noncytotoxic concentrations. These results demonstrate that unsaturated fatty acids but not saturated fatty acids can inhibit metabolic cooperation between Chinese hamster V79 cells, and suggest, mechanistically, that high dietary levels of polyunsaturated fat could promote tumorigenesis by inhibition of intercellular communication.