A Mixture of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids ω-3 and ω-6 Reduces Melanoma Growth by Inhibiting Inflammatory Mediators in the Murine Tumor Microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Although it has been previously demonstrated that acute inflammation can promote the tumor growth of a sub-tumorigenic dose of melanoma cells through of 5-lipoxygenase inflammatory pathway and its product leukotriene B4, and also that the peritumoral treatment with eicosapentaenoic acid and its product, leukotriene B5, reduces the tumor development, the effect of the treatment by gavage with omega-3 and omega-6 in the tumor microenvironment favorable to melanoma growth associated with acute inflammation has never been studied. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were coinjected with 1 × 106 apoptotic cells plus 1 × 103 viable melanoma cells into the subcutaneous tissue and treated by gavage with omega-3-rich fish oil or omega-6-rich soybean oil or a mixture of these oils (1:1 ratio) during five consecutive days. RESULTS: The treatment by gavage with a mixture of fish and soybean oils (1:1 ratio) both reduced the melanoma growth and the levels of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), PGE2/prostaglandin E3 (PGE3) ratio, and CXC ligand 1 (CXCL1) and increased the levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) to IL-10/CXCL1 ratio in the melanoma microenvironment. CONCLUSION: The oral administration of a 1:1 mixture of fish oil and soybean oil was able to alter the release of inflammatory mediators that are essential for a microenvironment favorable to the melanoma growth in mice, whereas fish oil or soybean oil alone was ineffective.

Transient fetal blood redistribution associated with maternal supine position.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether fetal blood circulation is influenced by the maternal supine position. METHODS: The inclusion criteria were good health, a singleton pregnancy, maternal age between 18 and 40 years, gestational age between 36 and 40 weeks, and an agreement to participate in the study. Each participant (n=20) was initially asked to adopt the left lateral position for 5 min, while fetal Doppler measurements were taken of the fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA), umbilical artery (UA), and umbilical vein (UV). Subsequently, they were asked to change to the supine position for Doppler measurements at 5 and at 10 min. RESULTS: When a woman remained in the supine position for 5 min, there was a significant reduction in fetal MCA-pulsatility index (PI) (median 1.70 vs. 1.42, P=0.003). This reduction did not persist after 10 min (median 1.70 vs. 1.65 P=1.0). There was no significant difference between the left lateral and the supine position at 5 and at 10 min in terms of UA-PI (0.853 vs. 0.870 vs. 0.858, P=0.850), UV flow (217 vs. 242 vs. 236 mL/min, P=0.263), and normalized UV flow (72.2 vs. 80.8 vs. 78.8 mL/min/kg, P=0.271). CONCLUSIONS: Changing maternal position from the left lateral to the supine position caused a reduction in resistance in fetal MCA and no changes in UA or UV indices. However, despite the changes in cerebral circulation which occurred at 5 min by shifting position, they did not remain for 10 min. The changes may be related to reduction in maternal oxygen saturation as there was no decrease in UV blood flow.