Fish oil reduces the proliferation of cells cultured from human breast and colorectal tumours: an in vitro study

Abstract

Diet plays a key role in the aetiology of cancer. Some studies have shown that diets rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) reduce tumour growth. This study aimed to investigate the effects of fish oil, rich in n-3 PUFA, in cell proliferation and death of cells from breast and colorectal tumours. In the presence of 1:5 (v/v) dilution of fish oil, 1.8-fold reduction in cell proliferation (p < 0.05) was observed. In addition, the presence of fish oil at a 1:5 proportion led to 1.6-fold increase in the rate of apoptosis, 6.7-fold increase in hydroperoxides, and 5-fold reduction in necrosis (p < 0.0001).