Effect of fish oil supplementation for 2 generations on changes in macrophage function induced by Walker 256 cancer cachexia in rats.

The effect of coconut fat (rich in medium saturated fatty acids) or fish oil (rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) supplementation for 2 generations on tumor growth, cancer cachexia, animal survival and macrophage function was investigated in Walker 256 tumor-bearing rats. Female Wistar rats were supplemented with coconut fat or fish oil prior to mating and then throughout pregnancy and gestation. Both supplementations were daily and orally given at 1 g per kg body weight as a single bolus. Same treatment was performed by the 2 following generations. At 90 days of age, male offspring (50%) from F2 generation were subcutaneously inoculated with 2 x 10(7) Walker 256 tumor cells. At 14 days after tumor implantation, rats not supplemented displayed cancer cachexia characterized by loss of body weight, hypoglycemia, hyperlacticidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, decreased food intake and depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and skeletal muscles. Supplementation with coconut fat did not affect these parameters. However, supplementation with fish oil decreased tumor growth (59%), prevented body weight loss and food intake reduction and attenuated cancer cachexia. In addition, fish oil increased animal survival up to 20 days (from 25% in rats not supplemented to 67% in rats supplemented with fish oil) and improved macrophage function characterized by increased phagocytosis capacity and production of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide. These results suggest that fish oil supplementation for 2 generations improves macrophage function in association to reduced tumor growth and attenuated cancer cachexia, maintaining food intake and increasing animal survival.