Effect of some fatty acids on apoptosis related genes in human breast cancer

Breast cancer, the second most common cancer after lung cancer, is the most common cancer type diagnosed in women. No definitive treatment has been established for breast cancer yet, but essential fatty acids offer a promising option. Omega fatty acids are classified in the essential fatty acids that the body cannot produce and, therefore, must be taken through the foods of animal or plant origin. Although in the literature the omega fatty acids have been shown to exhibit significant positive effects in inhibiting various tumor types, their mechanism of action, the apoptotic pathways they employ, and the genes they control have not been clarified yet. In this study, various doses and combinations of omega-3 [Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] and omega-6 [Linoleic acid (LA)] fatty acids were administered to human breast cancer MCF7 cell line for 24 h, and using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method, the protein expression levels of the following apoptosis-related genes were determined: phospho-p53 (Ser15), p53, Bad, phospho-Bad (Ser112), cleaved Caspase-3 (Asp175), and cleaved PARP (Asp214). Even though there was no significant difference observed in the expressions of phospho-p53 (Ser15) and p53 at all doses, other protein expressions were found to increase significantly, suggesting that Omega-3 and -6 can mediate apoptotic pathway to induce cell death in breast cancer cells.