Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) versus saturated fats/cholesterol: their proportion in fatty and lean meats may affect the risk of developing colon cancer

In spite of the considerable amount of experimental, clinical and epidemiological research about the consumption of red meat, total fats, saturated/unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol with regard to the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC), the issue remains controversial. The general belief is a reduction of red meat intake, and subsequent nutritional advice usually strongly recommends this. Paradoxically, beef together with whole milk and dairy derivatives, are almost the only sources for conjugated linoleic acid (CLAs) family. Furthermore CLAs are the only natural fatty acids accepted by the National Academy of Sciences of USA as exhibiting consistent antitumor properties at levels as low as 0.25 – 1.0 per cent of total fats. Beside CLA, other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) belonging to the essential fatty acid (EFA) n-3 family, whose main source are fish and seafood, are generally believed to be antipromoters for several cancers. The purpose of this work is to critically analyze the epidemiological and experimental evidence by tentatively assuming that the reciprocal proportions of saturated fats (SA) plus cholesterol (CH) versus CLAs levels in fatty or lean beef may play an antagonistic role underlying the contradictory effects reported for red meats consumption and CRC risk. Recent results about meat intake and risk for CRC in Argentina have shown an unexpected dual behaviour related to the type of meats. Fatty meat derivatives, such as cold cuts and sausages, mainly prepared from fatty beef (up to 37% fat) were associated with higher risk, whereas high consumption of lean beef (< 15% fat) behaved as a protective dietary habit. CLA is located in the interstitial, non-visible, fat evenly distributed along muscle fibres as well as in subcutaneous depots. Visible fat may be easily discarded during the meal, whereas interstitial fats will be eaten. The remaining intramuscular fat in lean meats range from 25 to 50 g/Kg (2.5 to 5%). The proportion of CLA/SA+CH for lean beef eaters is 0.09 and the fatty mets 0.007 (g/100 g). As a consequence, the beneficial effects of minor amounts of CLA may be relatively enhanced in lean meat compared to fatty meat sub-products which contain a substantial amount of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, as in cold cuts and cow viscera

Effect of ω-3 and ω-9 fatty acid rich oils on lipoxygenases and cyclooxygenases enzymes and on the growth of a mammary adenocarcinoma model

Background Nutritional factors play a major role in cancer initiation and development. Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have the ability to induce modifications in the activity of lipoxygenase (LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes that affect tumour growth. We studied the effect of two diets enriched in 6% Walnut and Peanut oils that are rich in ω-3 and ω9 PUFAs respectively on a murine mammary gland adenocarcinoma as compared with the control (C) that received commercial diet. Results Peanut oil enriched diet induced an increase in membrane arachidonic acid (AA) content and the cyclooxygenase enzyme derived 12-HHT (p < 0.05) and simultaneously showed decrease in 12-LOX, 15-LOX-2, 15-LOX-1 and PGE activities (p < 0.05) that corresponded to higher apoptosis and lower mitosis seen in this group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Peanut oil group showed lower T-cell infiltration (p < 0.05), number of metastasis (p < 0.05) and tumour volume (p < 0.05) and longer survival rate compared to other groups. Conclusions The results of the present study showed that Peanut oil-enriched diet protects against mammary cancer development by modulating tumour membrane fatty acids composition and LOX and COX enzyme activities.Fil: Comba, Andrea. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Biología Celular; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Histología,embriología y Genética I; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Maestri, Damian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Berra, María Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Biología Celular; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Histología,embriología y Genética I; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Carolina Paola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Biología Celular; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Histología,embriología y Genética I; ArgentinaFil: Das, Undurti N.. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University; India. Undurti Narasimha Das; Estados Unidos. Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences; IndiaFil: Eynard, Aldo Renato. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Biología Celular; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Histología,embriología y Genética I; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Pasqualini, María Eugenia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Cátedra de Biología Celular; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Cátedra de Histología,embriología y Genética I; Argentin

Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells-dependent Down-regulation of the Transcription Factor Glioma-associated Protein 1 (GLI1) Underlies the Growth Inhibitory Properties of Arachidonic Acid

Numerous reports have demonstrated a tumor inhibitory effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). However, the molecular mechanisms modulating this phenomenon are in part poorly understood. Here, we provide evidence of a novel antitumoral mechanism of the PUFA arachidonic acid (AA). In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that AA treatment decreased tumor growth and metastasis, and increased apoptosis. Molecular analysis of this effect showed significantly reduced expression of a subset of antiapoptotic proteins, including BCL2, BFL1/A1 and 4-1BB, in AA-treated cells. We demonstrated that downregulation of the transcription factor GLI1 in AA-treated cells is the underlying mechanism controlling BCL2, BFL1/A1 and 4-1BB expression. Using luciferase reporters, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and expression studies, we found that GLI1 binds to the promoter of these antiapoptotic molecules, and regulates their expression and promoter activity. We provide evidence that AA-induced apoptosis and downregulation of antiapoptotic genes can be inhibited by overexpressing GLI1 in AA-sensitive cells. Conversely, inhibition of GLI1 mimics AA treatments, leading to decreased tumor growth, cell viability and expression of antiapoptotic molecules. Further characterization showed that AA represses GLI1 expression by stimulating NFATc1 nuclear translocation, which then binds the GLI1 promoter and represses its transcription. AA was shown to increase reactive oxygen species. Treatment with antioxidants reduced the AA-induced apoptosis, downregulation of GLI1 and NFATc1 activation, indicating that NFATc1 activation and GLI1 repression require the generation of reactive oxygen species. Collectively, these results define a novel mechanism underlying AA antitumoral functions that may serve as a foundation for the future PUFA-based therapeutic approaches

The Gaia mission

Gaia is a cornerstone mission in the science programme of the EuropeanSpace Agency (ESA). The spacecraft construction was approved in 2006, following a study in which the original interferometric concept was changed to a direct-imaging approach. Both the spacecraft and the payload were built by European industry. The involvement of the scientific community focusses on data processing for which the international Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium (DPAC) was selected in 2007. Gaia was launched on 19 December 2013 and arrived at its operating point, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth-Moon system, a few weeks later. The commissioning of the spacecraft and payload was completed on 19 July 2014. The nominal five-year mission started with four weeks of special, ecliptic-pole scanning and subsequently transferred into full-sky scanning mode. We recall the scientific goals of Gaia and give a description of the as-built spacecraft that is currently (mid-2016) being operated to achieve these goals. We pay special attention to the payload module, the performance of which is closely related to the scientific performance of the mission. We provide a summary of the commissioning activities and findings, followed by a description of the routine operational mode. We summarise scientific performance estimates on the basis of in-orbit operations. Several intermediate Gaia data releases are planned and the data can be retrieved from the Gaia Archive, which is available through the Gaia home page. http://www.cosmos.esa.int/gai

Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids improve endothelial markers in metabolic syndrome: A systematic review[Ácidos grasos dietarios poliinsaturados n-3 mejoran los marcadores endoteliales en el síndrome metabólico: Una revisión sistemática]

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a global health problem. Dietary factors, especially fatty acids, may affect MS pathology. However, the associations between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and MS risk demonstrate inconsistent results. To clarify the relationship between dietary n-3 PUFA and endothelial function on MS, we carried out a systematic review. An electronic literature search based on controlled clinical trials (CCTs) between 2004 and 2020 was conducted. A total of 28 articles were included in the systematic review. Studies were analyzed according intervention type: dietary interventions (12 CCTs), dietary supplementation interventions (9 CCTs) and mixed interventions (7 CCTs). Studies with dietary interventions characterized by n-3 PUFAs increased by food source, such as Mediterranean and Nordic-style diets, reported significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and also in inflammatory endothelial biomarkers. The same effect was also observed in mixed interventions and in CCTs with n-3 PUFAs supple-mentation. Dietary interventions with n-3 PUFAs contributes to improved endothelial and cardiovascular health in SM and associated risk factors.Fil: Bertorello, Natalia Belén. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Carrera de Licenciatura en Nutrición; ArgentinaFil: Eynard, Aldo R. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Histología y Embriología. Instituto de Biología Celular; ArgentinaFil: Eynard, Aldo R. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. CONICET. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA); ArgentinaFil: Defagó, María Daniela. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. CONICET. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA); ArgentinaFil: Defagó, María Daniela. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Nutrición; Argentin

Traditional Dietary Pattern Increases Risk of Prostate Cancer in Argentina: Results of a Multilevel Modeling and Bias Analysis from a Case-Control Study

There is increasing evidence that dietary habits play a role in prostate cancer (PC) occurrence. Argentinean cancer risk studies require additional attention because of the singular dietary pattern of this population. A case-control study (147 PC cases, 300 controls) was conducted in Córdoba (Argentina) throughout 2008–2013. A principal component factor analysis was performed to identify dietary patterns. A mixed logistic regression model was applied, taking into account family history of cancer. Possible bias was evaluated by probabilistic bias analysis. Four dietary patterns were identified: Traditional (fatty red meats, offal, processed meat, starchy vegetables, added sugars and sweets, candies, fats, and vegetable oils), Prudent (nonstarchy vegetables, whole grains), Carbohydrate (sodas/juices and bakery products), and Cheese (cheeses). High adherence to the Traditional (OR 2.82, 95%CI: 1.569–5.099) and Carbohydrate Patterns (OR 2.14, 95%CI: 1.470–3.128) showed a promoting effect for PC, whereas the Prudent and Cheese Patterns were independent factors. PC occurrence was also associated with family history of PC. Bias adjusted ORs indicate that the validity of the present study is acceptable. High adherence to characteristic Argentinean dietary patterns was associated with increased PC risk. Our results incorporate original contributions to knowledge about scenarios in South American dietary patterns and PC occurrence