Omega-3 Pufas, Breast And Prostate Cancer: Experimental Studies

Although human epidemiological and clinical studies to date have failed to provide conclusive data on a protective effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on breast and prostate cancer, cell culture and animal studies present a more positive story. Experimental models investigated include various human cancer cell lines, rats with chemically induced tumors, mice with transplantable and human xenograft tumors, and, more recently, transgenic models. They have suggested a number of biological targets for omega-3 PUFAs that impact cell proliferation, survival, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasiveness, and metastasis, i.e., omega-3 PUFAs may have multifactorial properties in preventing and inhibiting cancer. These models have uncovered numerous mechanisms for the anti-cancer activity of omega-3 PUFAs with the most frequently cited being their ability to block the metabolism of omega-6 PUFAs into agents that promote many facets of the malignant behavior of cancer cells.