Breast cancer molecular subtypes, based on expression of estrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptors, alter prognosis and treatment options. α-linolenic acid (ALA) is a complementary therapy, however its effectiveness across breast cancer types and estrogen environments is unclear. This research determined the effect of ALA on growth, apoptosis, fatty acid profile, and gene changes in four breast cancer cell lines with varying receptor expression with or without (±) estradiol (E2). ALA (50-200uM) ± E2 reduced growth in all cell lines. 75μM ALA +E2 increased phospholipid % ALA in all cell lines and induced apoptosis in cell lines lacking the three receptors. Cellular % ALA was positively associated with apoptosis and inversely associated with cell growth. ALA altered expression of cell cycle, apoptosis and signal transduction genes. In conclusion, ALA incorporates into breast cancer cells, reduces growth and induces apoptosis regardless of receptor status or E2 level.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/43341 |
| Date | 11 December 2013 |
| Creators | Wiggins, Ashleigh |
| Contributors | Thompson, Lilian |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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