ABSTRACT
Numerous genetic alterations of HSA 11q13 are found frequently in several cancer types, including breast cancer (BC). The 11q13 locus harbors FADS2 encoding Δ6 desaturation which is not functional in several cancer cell lines, including hormone positive MCF7 BC cells. In vitro, the non-functional FADS2 activity unmasks 18:2n-6 elongation to 20:2n-6 and Δ5 desaturation by FADS1 to yield 5Z,11Z,14Z-20:3 (sciadonic acid) rather than 5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-20:4 (arachidonic acid). In this pilot study we aimed to determine whether 5,11,14-20:3 appears in vivo in hormone positive human BC tissue. Fatty acids were profiled in surgically removed human breast tumor and adjacent normal tissue (nâ¯=â¯9). Sciadonic acid was detected in three of nine breast tumor samples and was below detect limits in normal breast tissue. The internal Δ8 double bond of arachidonic acid is required for normal eicosanoid synthesis but is missing in sciadonic acid. This pilot study demonstrates for the first time in vivo sciadonic acid in hormone positive BC tissue, warranting a larger survey study to further evaluate its appearance and the functional implications.
Subject(s)
Arachidonic Acids/analysis , Breast Neoplasms/chemistry , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Animals , Breast/chemistry , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Chromatography, Gas , Delta-5 Fatty Acid Desaturase , Fatty Acid Desaturases/genetics , Female , Humans , MCF-7 Cells , Mastectomy/methods , Mice , Pilot Projects , Swiss 3T3 CellsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Normative data for hematologic values in the very low birth weight infants are limited and inconsistent, with the reported mean hematocrit (HCT) in these infants ranging from 43.5% to 60%. No data are available on the effect of race. OBJECTIVES: To establish normative data for hemoglobin (Hb) and HCT by arterial sampling obtained during the first 3 hours after birth in black and white premature infants
Subject(s)
Black People , Erythrocyte Indices , Gestational Age , Hematocrit , Hemoglobinometry , Infant, Very Low Birth Weight/blood , White People , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Male , Ohio , Reference Values , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Metabolic adaptation to pregnancy in humans and animals is aimed at provision of nutrients for the growth and energy metabolism of the growing conceptus, as well as for the mother. Kinetic studies in human pregnancy have shown that fluxes of energy-yielding substrates, i.e. glucose, fatty acids and glycerol, increase in parallel with the increasing demands of the fetus and the mother. Resistance to insulin action, measured by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, appears early in gestation and is correlated with the infant's birth weight. Adaptive responses in nitrogen metabolism, decreased plasma urea concentration and decreased rate of urea synthesis, are apparent early in pregnancy, much before any significant increase in fetal demands. Recent studies of branched chain aminoacid (leucine) kinetics show a lower flux of leucine nitrogen and an unchanged flux of leucine carbon in gestation. A linear correlation between rate of deamination of leucine and rate of urea synthesis was observed in pregnant women. It is speculated that decreased anaplerotic carbon flux in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, as a consequence of insulin resistance, may have an important role in the down-regulation of transamination of leucine during pregnancy, and may contribute to the conservation and accretion of nitrogen by the mother and the fetus.
