Chronic Supplementation With Shark Liver Oil for Reducing Tumor Growth and Cachexia in Walker 256 Tumor-Bearing Rats

• Published in: Nutrition and cancer Vol. 63; no. 8; pp. 1307 - 1315
• Main Authors: Iagher, Fabíola, Belo, Sérgio Ricardo de Brito, Naliwaiko, Katya, Franzói, Andressa Machado, Brito, Gleisson Alisson Pereira de, Yamazaki, Ricardo Key, Muritiba, Ana Lúcia, Muehlmann, Luis Alexandre, Steffani, Jovani Antonio, Fernandes, Luiz Cláudio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Franklin Institute Press 01-11-2011; Taylor & Francis Group; Taylor& Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Animals; Anticarcinogenic Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; blood; blood glucose; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Body Weight - drug effects; cachexia; Cachexia - drug therapy; Carcinoma 256, Walker - drug therapy; Carcinoma 256, Walker - pathology; Coconut Oil; coconuts; Dietary Supplements; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - administration & dosage; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fish oils; Fish Oils - administration & dosage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Glycerol - administration & dosage; Glycerol - analogs & derivatives; glycogen; Lactic Acid - blood; lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Lipid Peroxides - analysis; liver; Liver Glycogen - analysis; Liver. Biliary tract. Portal circulation. Exocrine pancreas; Male; Marine; Medical sciences; neoplasms; oils; omega-3 fatty acids; Oncology; Plant Oils - administration & dosage; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rodents; saturated fatty acids; Sharks; Triglycerides - blood; Tumors; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; weight gain; Rat; Rodentia; Hepatic disease; Cachexia; Malignant tumor; Vertebrata; Chronic; Mammalia; Cancerology; Liver tumor; Animal; Digestive diseases; Supplementation; Cancer
• ISSN: 0163-5581; 1532-7914
• DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2011.607540

We investigated the effect of chronic supplementation with shark liver oil (SLO), an antitumor supplement source of n-3 fatty acids and 1-O-alkylglycerols, alone and combined with coconut fat (CF), a source of saturated fatty acids, on Walker 256 tumor growth and cachexia. Male rats were supplemented daily and orally with SLO and/or CF (1 g per kg body weight) for 7 wk. After 7 wk, 50% of animals were subcutaneously inoculated with 3 × 107 Walker 256 tumor cells. After 14 days, the rats were killed, the tumors were removed for lipid peroxidation measurement, and blood was collected for glycemia, triacylglycerolemia, and lacticidemia evaluation. Liver samples were obtained for glycogen measurement. Unlike CF, supplementation with SLO promoted gain in body weight, reduction of tumor weight, and maintained glycemia, triacylglycerolemia, lacticidemia, and liver glycogen content to values similar to non-tumor-bearing rats. Combined supplementation of SLO with CF also showed a reversion of cachexia with gain in body mass, reduction of lacticidemia, maintaining the liver glycogen store, and reduction in tumor weight. SLO, alone or combined with CF, promoted increase of tumor lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, SLO supplemented chronically, alone or associated with CF, was able to reduce tumor growth and cachexia.