Nikolakopoulou, Z;
Nteliopoulos, G;
Michael-Titus, AT;
Parkinson, EK;
(2013)
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids selectively inhibit growth in neoplastic oral keratinocytes by differentially activating ERK1/2.
Carcinogenesis
, 34
(12)
pp. 2716-2725.
10.1093/carcin/bgt257.
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Abstract
The long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs)-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and its metabolite docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-inhibit cancer formation in vivo, but their mechanism of action is unclear. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation and inhibition have both been associated with the induction of tumour cell apoptosis by n-3 PUFAs. We show here that low doses of EPA, in particular, inhibited the growth of premalignant and malignant keratinocytes more than the growth of normal counterparts by a combination of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The growth inhibition of the oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) lines, but not normal keratinocytes, by both n-3 PUFAs was associated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) autophosphorylation, a sustained phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and its downstream target p90RSK but not with phosphorylation of the PI3 kinase target Akt. Inhibition of EGFR with either the EGFR kinase inhibitor AG1478 or an EGFR-blocking antibody inhibited ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and the blocking antibody partially antagonized growth inhibition by EPA but not by DHA. DHA generated more reactive oxygen species and activated more c-jun N-terminal kinase than EPA, potentially explaining its increased toxicity to normal keratinocytes. Our results show that, in part, EPA specifically inhibits SCC growth and development by creating a sustained signalling imbalance to amplify the EGFR/ERK/p90RSK pathway in neoplastic keratinocytes to a supraoptimal level, supporting the chemopreventive potential of EPA, whose toxicity to normal cells might be reduced further by blocking its metabolism to DHA. Furthermore, ERK1/2 phosphorylation may have potential as a biomarker of n-3 PUFA function in vivo.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids selectively inhibit growth in neoplastic oral keratinocytes by differentially activating ERK1/2 |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/carcin/bgt257 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgt257 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Apoptosis, Caspases, Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Cell Line, Tumor, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Humans, Keratinocytes, MAP Kinase Signaling System, Phosphorylation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt, Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor, Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa, Signal Transduction |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1529335 |
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