Comparison of prostanoids and their precursor fatty acids in human hepatocellular carcinoma and noncancerous...

Eicosanoid production and the compositions of precursor fatty acids were determined in human cancerous and reference liver tissues. Seventeen hepatectomized cases (12 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 5 cases of metastatic liver cancer) were evaluated. The cancerous tissues and the noncancerous reference tissues were separated, lipids were extracted, and the fatty acids were determined as methyl esters by gas chromatography. Prostanoids (6-keto PGF1 alpha and TXB2) were measured by radioimmunoassay. In HCC, the levels of alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) (0.41 +/- 0.38 x 100 micrograms/g) and docosahexaenoic acid (10.41 +/- 4.96 x 100 micrograms/g) in liver cancer tissue were significantly less than those in the reference tissues. In HCC, the levels of TXB2 reference (1.86 +/- 2.77 pg/mg wet weight) and 6-keto PGF1 alpha were 10-fold higher than those in reference tissues. We speculate that in HCC higher prostanoid levels in the liver are related in part to tumor metabolism.