Differential effects of dietary Oenothera, Zizyphus mistol, and corn oils, and essential fatty acid deficiency on the progression of a murine mammary gland adenocarcinoma

Nutrition. 1999 Mar;15(3):208-12. doi: 10.1016/s0899-9007(98)00181-6.

Abstract

The modulating effect of dietary enrichment in mistol seed oil (MO) containing 25% of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), evening primrose oil (EPO) enriched in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and corn oil (CO) as sources of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids on the growth parameters of one transplantable mammary tumor were compared. Mice fed on different lipid formulae were inoculated with a mammary gland adenocarcinoma and different growth development tumor parameters were recorded. Results showed that corn oil feeding slowed down most of the tumor growth parameters, as did the EPO diet. MO also showed antitumor activity. Olein feeding, which induces an essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD), increased the incidence and the multiplicity of metastases when compared with the controls. It may be concluded that a diet enriched in omega-6 fatty acids did not behave as a tumor promoter in this mammary gland tumor model. The antitumor activities of EPO and MO are corroborated in present experiments, suggesting that both oils may be of value in nutritional approaches of mammary gland tumor therapies. In addition, present data add further experimental proof about the proposed protumorigenic proneness induced by the EFAD state.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diet therapy*
  • Adenocarcinoma / metabolism*
  • Adenocarcinoma / secondary
  • Animals
  • Corn Oil / administration & dosage
  • Dietary Fats, Unsaturated / administration & dosage*
  • Fatty Acids, Essential / administration & dosage
  • Fatty Acids, Essential / deficiency*
  • Female
  • Linoleic Acids
  • Magnoliopsida
  • Male
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / diet therapy*
  • Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Oenothera biennis
  • Plant Oils / administration & dosage*
  • Rosales
  • alpha-Linolenic Acid / administration & dosage
  • gamma-Linolenic Acid / administration & dosage

Substances

  • Dietary Fats, Unsaturated
  • Fatty Acids, Essential
  • Linoleic Acids
  • Plant Oils
  • alpha-Linolenic Acid
  • evening primrose oil
  • gamma-Linolenic Acid
  • Corn Oil