MRC PhD students
 Celeste Abrahams is an MSc student in the Medical Biosciences at the University of the Western Cape and is investigating the cancer modulating effect of dietary fatty acids on the lipid profile in colon mucosa in vivo and colon epithelial in vitro.
Scientific evidence supports the view that alterations in diet have strong effects, both positive and negative, on health throughout life. Thus, dietary adjustments may not only influence present health, but may determine whether or not an individual will develop diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer much later in life. Research has linked a high dietary intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially in association with a low omega-3 intake, to increased risks of cancers of the breast, colon and prostate. Fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids affects the physical and biochemical properties of the plasma membrane. Fatty acids may therefore influence various steps in carcinogenesis through numerous mechanisms associated with its content. These include alterations in the plasma membrane lipid component and thus fluidity that affect cellular structure and function. Changes in fatty content affect eicosanoid production, activation of nuclear transcription factors, and modulation of signal transduction pathways by FA, leading to altered gene expression and affects cell proliferation and apoptosis. Although research suggests that omega-3 FA can protect against cancer development, it appears that the n-6/n-3 dietary FA ratio, rather than the quantity of n-3 FA, is the major determinant responsible for the chemopreventive effect. Thus, establishing a balance between n-3 and n-6 fatty acid content may determine the final outcome of cancer development. This project investigates the effects of varying dietary omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratios on the progression of colon cancer by monitoring changes in the membrane PUFA levels, the resultant alterations in cellular oxidative status as well as cell proliferative and apoptotic indices.
Supervisors: Dr Stefan Abel and Prof WCA Gelderblom (PROMEC Unit, MRC), Prof Maryna de Kock (Medical Bioscience Dept, UWC) |
