Fatty Acids and Their Analogues as Anticancer Agents

Abstract

Recent research supports the beneficial effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on inhibiting tumour development. Long-chain fatty acids modulate the tumour cell response to chemotherapeutic drugs. Investigators recently claimed high dietary intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid especially in association with a low intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid to increase risks for cancers of the breast, colon and possibly prostate. In addition to these facts, a number of investigations have demonstrated that a modified fatty acid analogues are promising molecules in cancer prevention and have potential in the treatment of cancer. Although billions of dollars have been spent on research and development on anticancer drugs, the disease remains uncontrolled. It is expected that anticancer agents preferentially kill tumour cells without causing adverse effects on normal cells. But this is rarely achieved with the existing cancer therapy. Hence, polyunsaturated fatty acids have come under the category of nutraceuticals/functional foods; their exploration in the treatment of cancer may be considered as safe. This chapter describes the effects of long-chain fatty acids and their analogues in cancer chemotherapy.

Synergistic effects of combined cisplatin and Clinacanthus nutans extract on triple negative breast cancer cells

“…In this investigation, we demonstrated that both MDA-MB-231 (a highly metastatic and poorly differentiated cell line) and MDA-MB-468 (a metastatic and less differentiated cell line) that represent a TNBC subtype, were sensitized towards cisplatin by supplementation with an ethanolic leaf extract of C. nutans known to be enriched with compounds possessing anticancer properties. 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 46 This sensitization can be proven via the achievement of a lower cisplatin IC 50 concentration by 50% upon the treatment of addition of MDA-MB-231 cells with C. nutans ( Figure 1 H). In addition, the metastatic potential of MDA-MB-231 cells was significantly inhibited by almost 50% when treated with 3.05 μg/mL cisplatin + 10 μg/mL C. nutans when compared to 3.05 μg/mL cisplatin treatment.…”

“…A total of 18 major bioactive compounds with potential anticancer properties were identified by ethanol extraction. 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 Of these, fatty acid derivatives (28.34%), carboxylic acid ester derivatives (26.68%), and glycoside derivatives (22.47%), were the major constituents of C. nutans leaf extract ( Table 4 ).…”

Chloroform fraction of Chaetomorpha brachygona, a marine green alga from Indian Sundarbans inducing autophagy in cervical cancer cells in vitro

“…GC–MS data clearly showed the abundance of palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid in CCF. Fatty acids like hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid) and octadecanoic acids (stearic acid) had been reported as anticancer compounds 26 . Palmitic acid (PA), at a concentration of (0.2–0.4 mmol/L), was reported to induce apoptosis in human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) at a dose- and time-dependent manner, Bcl-2 level was found to decrease slightly; whereas, Bax level was found to be elevated markedly 27 .…”

Depletion of Essential Fatty Acids in Muscle Is Associated With Shorter Survival of Cancer Patients Undergoing Surgery

“…Essential fatty acids associated with membranes in uence cancer progression by altering production of lipid mediators, in uencing gene expression as well as activating signal transduction molecules in uencing carcinogenesis 1,2 . Experimental studies of cancer show that arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) regulate proliferation, apoptosis, cytotoxicity, metastasis and immune cell functions in cancer cell lines 3 . EPA and DHA improve e cacy of anticancer treatments, chemotherapy tolerability, and in ammatory pro le of the host while attenuating skeletal muscle mass depletion 4,5 , although the quality of studies is limited 6 .…”