The Effect of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementations on anti-Tumor Drugs in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises about 10–20% of all diagnosed breast cancers. Increasing evidence shows that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3PUFAs), docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, can influence the development, progression, and prognosis of TNBC In Vivo and In Vitro; however, clinical evidence supporting the effect of ω-3PUFAs on TNBC is lacking. Research has demonstrated that ω-3PUFAs can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathway, and that ω-3PUFAs can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. Using ω-3PUFA supplementation in addition to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer may result in enhanced anti-tumor effects that will be particularly applicable to difficult to treat phenotypes such as TNBC. The aim of the current review was to summarize the evidence-base supporting the antitumor effects of omega-3 PUFAs in TNBC.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Qiang Su, Jing Yu and Lei Zhao for their kind help in the literature search.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 7172061)；China Population Publicity and Education Center Research and Promotion Project (No. 2017-A001)；Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals’Youth Program (Code: QML20170102).