Effect of dietary supplementation of α-linolenic acid on prostate tumor in mice

• 1、School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122

Abstract：The plant derived α-linolenic acid (ALA) is usually the major n-3 PUFA in the diet. Even though ALA serves as a precursor for EPA and DHA, its beneficial effects on chronic diseases are still in dispute, unlike those of its elongated metabolites. Therefore, we carried out the investigation in prostate-specific Pten-knockout mice with specified low-ALA (L-ALA, 2.5%) and high-ALA (H-ALA, 7.5%) diets to evaluate its conversion to EPA in mice, and to investigate its protective role on prostate tumors. Total fatty acids in blood, liver and prostate were detected by GC/MS, and prostate tumor growth were determined. We found that dietary ALA are able to trigger a significant increase of EPA levels and a significant decrease in arachidonic acid (AA) levels in blood and tissues of the mice. We first demonstrated that dietary ALA can delay prostate tumor formation as the marine-derived oil groups. These results have significant interest for the food industry to substitute n-3 PUFAs derived from plant sorces.

Keywords： Food Science α- Linolenic Acid EPA AA Prostate Tumor