Anticancer Activity of Free γ-Linolenic Acid on AH-109A Rat Hepatoma Cells and the Effect of Serum Albumin on Anticancer Activity of 7-Linolenic Acid in Vitro

Abstract

The cytotoxicity of γ-linolenic acid (C18:3n-6) against rat hepatoma AH-109A cells and the effect of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on its toxicity were examined in culture. The proliferation of AH-109A cells, evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, was significantly suppressed by γ-linolenic acid above 5 μg/ml concentration in a serum-free culture medium. However, its toxicity was reduced by supplement of BSA. Similar observation of reduced toxicity by BSA was shown by the method of trypan blue dye exclusion and a colony formation assay. The cytotoxicity of γ-linolenic acid was correlated closely with the concentration of unbound (free) γ-linolenic acid. Production of thiobarbituric acid reactive material, one of the indicators of lipid peroxidation, was stimulated by γ-linolenic acid and inhibited by BSA. These results suggested that the presence of albumin suppressed the cytotoxicity of the free fatty acid. © 1990, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.