Effects of dietary linoleic acid on pancreatic carcinogenesis in rats and hamsters

It has been suggested that linoleic acid (LA) is responsible for the promoting effect of dietary polyunsaturated fat on pancreatic carcinogenesis via an accelerated prostaglandin synthesis, caused by metabolism of LA-derived arachidonic acid in (pre)neoplastic tissue. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether dietary LA is the cause of pancreatic tumor promotion by a high fat diet. Five groups of 30 azaserine-treated rats and 5 groups of 30 N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine-treated hamsters were maintained for 6 months (rats) and 12 months (hamsters) on high fat (25 weight %) AIN diets containing 2, 4, 6, 10, or 15 weight % LA. The results indicated that the strongest enhancing effect on the growth of pancreatic (pre)neoplastic lesions in rats and hamsters was obtained with 4 and 2 weight % of dietary LA, respectively. At higher LA levels the tumor response seemed to decrease rather than increase. In both rats and hamsters the fatty acid profiles of blood plasma and pancreas showed an accurate reflection of the dietary fatty acid profiles: a proportional increase in LA levels was observed in plasma and pancreas with increasing dietary LA. In both species plasma and pancreatic AA levels remained constant, except for arachidonic acid levels in rat plasma, which significantly increased with increasing dietary LA levels. Fatty acid profiles in hamster pancreatic tumors did not differ from fatty acid profiles in nontumorous pancreatic tissue from hamsters fed the same diet. Prostaglandin (PG) E2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, PGF2 alpha, and thromboxane B2-concentrations in nontumorous pancreatic tissue were similar among the diet groups. Ductular adenocarcinomas from hamster pancreas showed significantly higher levels of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, PGF2 alpha, and thromboxane B2, but not of PGE2 in comparison with nontumorous pancreas. It is concluded that the strongest pancreatic tumor promotion by dietary LA is 4 weight % in rats and 2 weight % or less in hamsters, and that PGs may be involved in the development of ductular adenocarcinomas induced in hamster pancreas by N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine.