Fatty acid compositions of inositol and choline phospholipids of breast tumours and normal breast tissue
Williams, C.M.; Maunder, K.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47(4): 260-267
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0954-3007 PMID: 8491163 Document Number: 411810
The fatty acid compositions of the choline and inositol phospholipids of breast tumours of women undergoing surgery for treatment of breast disease (malignant n = 12; benign n = 10) and normal breast tissue of women undergoing breast reduction surgery ( n = 6) were determined. The fatty acid compositions of erythrocyte phospholipids were also determined in the same subjects and in an additional number of normal healthy volunteers (n = 16). Levels of oleic acid were lower in both phospholipid fractions of erythrocytes of women with breast disease and in the phosphatidylcholine fraction of breast tumours compared with normal breast tissue. Significantly higher levels of linoleic acid were found in erythrocytes of tumour-bearing subjects and a similar trend was evident in the phosphatidylcholine fraction of tumour compared with normal breast tissues. Conversely, lower levels of two of the products of linoleic acid chain elongation and desaturation, dihomo-gamma-linolenic and arachidonic acids, were found in the erythrocyte phospholipids of tumour-bearing subjects and in the choline phospholipids of breast tumor tissues. These data suggest that in women with breast disease, there may be inhibition of 6-desaturase, and enhanced activity of 9-desaturase, enzymes which play an important role in determining membrane phospholipid fatty acid composition. This pattern of altered fatty acid composition characteristic of erythrocyte phospholipids of tumour-bearing subjects and phosphatidylcholine of breast tumour tissue was less evident in the case of the breast tumour phosphatidylinositol in which differences other than those described were seen. The most notable difference was the higher level of stearic acid observed in the phosphatidylinositol of malignant compared with benign tumours and normal breast tissue. This was one of only two differences in phospholipid fatty acid composition observed between malignant and benign breast tumours. It is suggested that disturbances in desaturase activity of subjects with breast disease may be responsible for the responsible for the reported stimulative effects of high fat diets in these conditions.