The Effect of Diet Supplementation with Pomegranate and Bitter Melon on Lipidomic Profile of Serum and Cancerous Tissues of Rats with Mammary Tumours

Abstract

The aim of this study was to present overall lipid profile of organisms with ongoing neoplastic process and applied diet supplementation with pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and bitter melon extract (BME). The following were quantified in serum and cancerous tissues of rats suffering from mammary tumours: fatty acids, conjugated fatty acids and sterols, their oxidised metabolites (malondialdehyde and oxysterols) and lipoxygenase (LOX) metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids. The obtained results indicate that abnormalities in lipid metabolism accompany neoplastic process. These differences concern all classes of lipids and most pathways of their transformation, with the special emphasis on lipid peroxidation and LOX-mediated metabolism. Cancer process appears to be so detrimental that it may conceal positive influence of dietary modifications. The lack of anticarcinogenic properties of PSO and BME in this model may be due to their antioxidant properties or elevated levels of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA), which change CLA isomer activity from anti- to pro-tumorigenic. As CLA are the product of conjugated linolenic acids (CLnA) endogenous metabolism, high CLA levels may be explained by applied diet enrichment.

Lipidomic Profile and Enzymes Activity in Hepatic Microsomes of Rats in Physiological and Pathological Conditions

“…It was previously established that the cancerous process is characterized by changed metabolism, including increased utilization of lipid compounds, e.g., by uptake from an extracellular matrix or de novo synthesis [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. We previously revealed the significant differences in lipidomic profile in serum and tissues (mammary, cardiac, hepatic) generated by developing breast cancer [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 16 ]. We hypothesized that modified lipid metabolism in cancerous process may result inter alia from alteration in the activity of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism.…”

“…It was previously observed that pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and bitter melon fruit extract (BME) can change the cellular membrane lipid profile of different tissues (hepatic, cardiac, mammary) and that this impact depends on the physiological condition or developing pathological condition [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Based on those results we assumed that similar influence can be exerted on an ER lipid profile, which in turn can change the activity of microsomal enzymes.…”

Involvement of 27-Hydroxycholesterol in Mitotane Action on Adrenocortical Carcinoma

“…The oxysterol 27OHC is the product of cholesterol oxidation by the ubiquitous and constitutive mitochondrial hydroxylase CYP27A1 [20] and represents the most abundant oxysterol in human plasma [21]. The role of this oxysterol in cancer is highly debated and related literature is quite controversial, given that different experimental approaches and conditions were employed, a wide variety of cancer types was assessed [22], and the oxysterol content varied significantly in the single tumors [23]. As far as human adrenal cancer cells are concerned, this paper provides solid evidence of specific cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic actions of 27OHC, which matches the in vitro effect exerted by an identical micromolar amount of mitotane ( Figure 2).…”

Efectos benéficos de los compuestos antioxidantes de la granada (Punica granatum L.) en patologías asociadas con el estrés oxidante

“…Además, diferentes partes de P. granatum se han utilizado en la medicina tradicional, ya que esta planta posee diversos efectos terapéuticos como antioxidante, antiinflamatorio, antimicrobiano o anticancerígeno contra múltiples enfermedades y dolencias; por ejemplo, en la prevención y tratamiento de fiebre, úlceras, diarreas, hemorragias, infecciones microbianas, diabetes, anemia, osteoartritis o trastornos respiratorios (Larrosa et al, 2010). Gracias a ello, el estudio del potencial farmacológico de los componentes químicos y sustancias bioactivas y antioxidantes de esta planta ha resultado de profundo interés para la comunidad científica, sobre todo en la última década (Garcia-Niño y Zazueta, 2015; Bialek et al, 2020).…”