Various Acylglycerols from Common Oils Exert Different Antitumor Activities on Colorectal Cancer Cells

ABSTRACT

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Western countries; therefore, the implementation of healthy dietary habits in order to prevent its occurrence is a desirable action. We show here that both free fatty acids (FFAs) and some acylglycerols induce antitumoral actions in the colorectal cancer cell line HT-29. We tested several C18 polyunsaturated fatty acid-enriched oils (e.g., sunflower and Echium) as well as other oils, such as arachidonic acid-enriched (Arasco®) and docosahexaenoic acid-enriched (Marinol® and cod liver oil), in addition to coconut and olive oils. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test indicated inhibitory effects on HT-29 cells viability for FFAs, and monoacylglycerol and diacylglycerol (DAG) species, while the lactate dehydrogenase test proved that FFAs were the more effective species to induce membrane injury. Conversely, all species did not exhibit actions on CCD-18 normal human colon cells viability.

Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of necrosis and apoptosis, while the monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibition test demonstrated high activity for 2-monoacylglycerols derived from Arasco and sunflower oils. However, different monoacylglycerols and DAGs have also the potential for MAGL inhibition. Therefore, checking for activity on colon cancer cells of specifically designed acylglycerol-derivative species would be a suitable way to design functional foods destined to avoid colorectal cancer initiation.

Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to Dr. David Porcel Muñoz (Centro de Instrumentación Científica, University of Granada, Spain) for the assistance with scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Funding

This study has been funded by a grant of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project AGL2011-25807)