The Potential of DHA as Cancer Therapy Strategies: A Narrative Review of In Vitro Cytotoxicity Trials

Abstract

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), also known as omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), is a natural compound that has demonstrated pharmacological activity against several malignant neoplasms. Available cancer treatments cause side effects, affect healthy cells, reduce the quality of life of patients and may cause resistance to antineoplastics. For these reasons, the search for new therapies is continuous. This narrative review aimed to compile information on in vitro experiments that study the cytotoxic effect of DHA or molecules derived from DHA in tumor and nontumor cells. This was performed to highlight the potential of DHA as a strategy for cancer therapy and to gather information, which will help researchers plan experimental designs and develop research to discover effective therapies against cancer. In addition, studies were presented that demonstrate the dose of DHA that can treat patients with cancer. Thus, a search was conducted for articles on the SCOPUS and Web of Science platforms, published until 2022, that analyzed the action of DHA against breast, lung, colorectal, prostate, stomach and liver cancers. Cytotoxic effects were observed in tumor and nontumor cell lines, and these results varied with the type of cell line studied, drug concentration, incubation time and treatment combination, i.e., with DHA alone, combined with other drugs and with molecules derived from DHA. In patients with cancer, in all analyzed studies, DHA intake was associated with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and/or proteins to aid chemotherapy, and with this procedure, tumor reduction, chemotherapy tolerance and muscle mass gain were obtained. This work contributes to the community by demonstrating the possible applicability of DHA in the pharmaceutical area of oncological therapies.

Production of highly cytotoxic and low immunogenic L-asparaginase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia EMCC2297

“…S. maltophilia is naturally resistant to a wide range of antibiotics including chloramphenicol (Bray et al 2020 ; de Prevenção 2019 ). This resistance is due to the presence of genes encoding efflux pumps and antibiotic inactivating enzymes on its chromosome (Bray et al 2020 ; de Freitas Rodrigues et al 2023 ; Sung et al 2021 ). The degree of amplification can be adjusted by adjusting the concentration of chloramphenicol in the growing medium (Berridge et al 2005 ).…”

The Involvement of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Apoptosis Mechanisms and Their Implications in Cancer

“…Furthermore, the use of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment has been suggested by various researchers. Omega-3 supplementation in the diets of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy has shown potential benefits, such as improved treatment tolerance, decreased tumor size, and increased lean body mass [174]. For example, in a randomized trial with 11 colorectal cancer patients, the group that ingested 2 g/day of fish oil exhibited significant increases in EPA and DHA levels in blood plasma (1.8 and 1.4 times higher, respectively), along with muscle mass gain (mean of +1.2 kg).…”

DHA-Provoked Reduction in Adipogenesis and Glucose Uptake Could Be Mediated by Gps2 Upregulation in Immature 3T3-L1 Cells

“…PUFAs, as well-known modulators of whole-body metabolism, are widely used in the therapeutic management of a range of inflammatory diseases and conditions, such as obesity, dermatitis, osteoarthritis, and cardiovascular comorbidities [6][7][8][9][10][11]. Among these fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is of particular interest since, along with its anti-inflammatory and antiadipogenic features, it seems to have the ability to suppress the proliferation of rapidly dividing cells, making it a promising approach in cancer therapy [12][13][14]. As mentioned above, PUFAs are thought to be a potent modulator of adipocyte metabolism, but the exact mechanism of white adipose tissue's adaptation to PUFA exposure is poorly understood.…”