Title:The Effect of Krill Oil and n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Human Osteosarcoma Cell Proliferation and Migration
Volume: 19
Issue: 5
Author(s): Xiao Su, Philline Tanalgo, Marcel Bustos and Crispin R. Dass*
Affiliation:
- School of Pharmacy, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102,Australia
Keywords:
Cancer, DHA, EPA, fish oil, krill oil, osteosarcoma.
Abstract: Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is a neoplastic condition afflicting mostly the young, as
the lesion usually occurs in areas of bone growth with tumour cells metastasising to the lungs in advanced
disease. There is no real cure for the disease, with conventional drugs causing side-effects that
decrease the quality of life of sufferers. Newer and safer drugs are needed, and one avenue is to use
natural compounds that can stunt the growth of the tumour.
Objective: In this study, two such biological entities were evaluated: krill oil and fish oil. Human OS
cells were exposed to krill oil, fish oil, EPA and DHA in time-course assays lasting up to 72h.
Results: Krill oil inhibited 23, 50 and 64% of cell proliferation at 24, 48 and 72h respectively, while
fish oil resulted in no significant changes although an increase was observed at 24h. Interestingly EPA
and DHA promoted OS cell proliferation and migration in this neoplasia. The inhibitory effect of krill
oil was comparable to 0.5 and 1µM doxorubicin, a commonly used clinical drug for OS treatment.
Conclusion: These results indicate that krill oil may be used in combination with standard clinical
practices to control primary tumour growth, and more importantly, metastasis.