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This study was conducted to investigate the role of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) and its prostaglandin product PGE(2) in n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-mediated effects on cellular proliferation of two human colorectal carcinoma cell lines. The long chain PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n-6) both inhibited cell proliferation of Caco-2 cells compared with the long chain fatty acids alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (LA; 18:2n-6). Neither incubation with PGE(2) nor reduction in PGE(2) synthesis by EPA compared with AA led to differential effects on cell proliferation in Caco-2 cells. This suggests that n-6 and n-3 PUFA-mediated cell proliferation in Caco-2 cells is not regulated via PGE(2) levels. AA and EPA had no effect on growth of HT-29 colon cancer cells with a low COX activity. However, stimulation of COX-2 activity by IL-1 beta resulted in a decrease in cell proliferation and an induction of cytotoxicity by AA as well as by EPA. Both inhibition of the COX pathway by indomethacin as well as inhibition of direct lipid peroxidation by antioxidants such as vitamin E and C diminished the anti-proliferative effects of AA as well as EPA. Also, malondialdehyde, a product of lipid peroxidation and COX-activity was decreased by addition of vitamin E and partially decreased by indomethacin. These data support the hypothesis that growth inhibitory and cytotoxic effects of PUFAs with methylene-interrupted double bonds such as AA and EPA are due to peroxidation products that are generated during lipid peroxidation and COX activity.

Background/Aims: Dietary n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce inflammation via a range of mechanisms. This study tested the effect of dietary eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on intestinal inflammation using interleukin-10 gene-deficient (Il10^–/–) mice. Methods: At 35 days of age, 12 weaned Il10^–/– and 12 C57 mice were randomly assigned to one of two modified AIN-76A diets, supplemented with 3.7% purified ethyl esters of either EPA (n–3) or oleic acid (OA, control). To identify genes relevant to colon inflammation, transcription profiling (microarrays and qRT-PCR) and bioinformatic analyses were used. Results: In this study, dietary EPA reversed the decrease in colon fatty acid β-oxidation gene expression observed in OA-fed Il10^–/– compared to C57 mice. Il10^–/– mice fed the OA diet showed decreased expression of antioxidant enzyme genes, as well as those involved in detoxification of xenobiotics, compared to C57 mice on the same diet. In contrast, dietary EPA increased the expression of these genes in Il10^–/– mice. Conclusions: These data indicate that dietary EPA-induced endogenous lipid oxidation which might have a potential anti-inflammatory effect on colon tissue. This is supported by the activation of the Ppara gene that regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory and immunomodulatory genes and proteins.

Multidrug resistance targeted mutation (mdr1a -/-) mice spontaneously develop intestinal inflammation. The aim of this study was to further characterize the intestinal inflammation in mdr1a -/-mice. Intestinal samples were collected to measure inflammation and gene expression changes over time. The first signs of inflammation occurred around 16 weeks of age and most mdr1a -/-mice developed inflammation between 16 and 27 weeks of age. The total histological injury score was the highest in the colon. The inflammatory lesions were transmural and discontinuous, revealing similarities to human inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Genes involved in inflammatory response pathways were upregulated whereas genes involved in biotransformation and transport were down-regulated in colonic epithelial cell scrapings of inflamed mdra1 -/-mice at 25 weeks of age compared to non-inflamed FVB mice. These results show overlap to human IBD and strengthen the use of this in vivo model to study human IBD. The anti-inflammatory regenerating islet-derived genes were expressed at a lower level during inflammation initiation in non-inflamed colonic epithelial cell scrapings of mdr1a -/-mice at 12 weeks of age. This result suggests that an insufficiently suppressed immune response could be crucial to the initiation and development of intestinal inflammation in mdr1a -/-mice.