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Expression profile of polyunsaturated fatty acids in colorectal cancer
Kai Yang1, Hong Li1, Jin Dong1
1Kai Yang, Department of General Surgery, Shijingshan Teaching Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing Shijingshan Hospital, Beijing 100043, China.
Aim:
To investigate the relationship between the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and tumor-associated factors for predicting the outcome of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) in Chinese patients.
Methods:
Fresh-frozen malignant and normal tissues from 82 Chinese patients with CRC were analyzed for PUFA composition using gas-liquid chromatography. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the levels of VEGF, p53 and Ki-67 were measured by immunohistochemistry.
Results:
In malignant tissue, compared with normal tissue, the levels of total ω-6 PUFAs (24.64%±3.41% vs 26.77%±3.37%, P=0.00) and linoleic acid (LA) (15.46%±3.51% vs 18.30%±2.83%, P<0.01) were lower, whereas the levels of total ω-3 PUFAs (1.58%±0.74% vs 1.35%±0.60%, P<0.01) and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) (1.32%±0.69% vs 0.85%±0.29%, P<0.01) were significantly higher. The ratios of arachidonic acid (AA)/LA (0.53±0.22 vs 0.42±0.19, P<0.01) and AA/total ω-6 PUFAs (0.31±0.09 vs 0.27±0.10, P<0.01) were also significantly higher in malignant tissue. The levels of PDGF (353.10±148.85 pg/mL vs 286.09±104.91 pg/mL, P<0.01), COX-2 (125.21±70.29 ng/mL vs 67.06±42.22 ng/mL, P<0.01) and VEGF (357.11±128.76 pg/mL vs 211.38±99.47 pg/mL, P<0.01) were also higher in malignant tissue compared to normal tissue. COX-2 was inversely correlated with LA (R=-0.3244, P<0.05) and positively correlated with AA/total ω-6 PUFAs (R=0.3083, P<0.05) and AA/LA (R=0.3001, P<0.05). The tissue level of LA was highest in poorly differentiated tumors (19.9%±6.3%, P<0.05), while the ratio of AA/ω-3 PUFAs was lowest in these tumors (10.8±2.6, P<0.05). In VEGF-positive tumors, the level of LA was higher (16.2%±3.7% vs 13.9%±2.7%, P<0.01), while the AA/ω-3PUFA, AA/ω-6 PUFA, and AA/LA ratios were lower than in VEGF-negative tumors (5.0±1.8 vs 6.7±3.3, 0.30±0.09 vs 0.34±0.09, 0.50±0.21 vs 0.61±0.21, P<0.01).
Conclusion:
The metabolism of PUFAs may play an important role in the evolution of inflammation-driven tumorigenesis in CRC and may be considered a potential marker for prognosis.
