Analysis of the effect of gamma-linolenic acid in the expression and activity of enzymes involved in the metabolism of eicosanoids and multidrug resistance in glioma cells

• Grant number: 14/21228-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Alison Colquhoun
• Grantee: Lucas Barbosa Rossetti
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Inflammation is a protective response against any physiological stimulus that disturbs natural tissue homeostasis. It can be modulated by several factors, among them, eicosanoids. These are inflammatory lipid mediators derived from arachidonic acid metabolism by the enzymes cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX). Exogenous substances can influence eicosanoid synthesis, such as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid that was demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties in laboratory tests. Nevertheless, its use as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of gliomas is still uncertain. Searching for possible new therapeutic targets for this and other types of cancers is essential; since gliomas as well as other tumors cells can acquire resistance to various chemotherapeutic agents, a phenomenon known as multidrug resistance (MDR). This project aims to elucidate the effects of exogenous addition of GLA on some enzymes involved in eicosanoids metabolism and proteins involved in MDR; in order to characterize potential new therapeutic targets for this type of neoplasia.