N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reverse the development of polyps in Apc^Min/+ transgenic mice

Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) have been demonstrated to reduce tumor load in Apc^Min/+ mice, supporting a role for n-3 PUFAs in the inhibition of colon carcinogenesis and progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a diet enriched with n-3 PUFAs, known already to have anti-neoplastic efficacy in Apc^Min/+ mice, would reverse the development of intestinal polyps. For this purpose, Apc^Min/+ mice were randomly divided into 3 groups of 5 animal each and fed as follows: control ST1 and ST2 groups, received a purified AIN-93M standard diet for 5 and 10 weeks, respectively; the OM-3R group received a purified AIN-93M standard diet for 5 weeks and a diet supplemented with salmon oil, rich in n-3 PUFAs, for another 5 weeks. After dietary treatment, in intestinal tissue, we evaluated the polyp number and volume, expression levels of cell proliferation- and apoptosis-related proteins, as well as the protein expression of LDL receptor and the levels of fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity. The results showed the ability of a diet enriched with n-3 PUFAs to suppress intestinal polyps in Apc^Min/+ mice, and to significantly reverse polyp development associated with the downregulation of cell proliferation markers and with the induction of estrogen receptor β and LDL receptor, which are negative modulators of cellular proliferation. This noteworthy finding is important for a translational study evaluating the therapeutic role of n-3 PUFAs in the prevention and treatment of subjects with gastrointestinal diseases.