Fish oil could hold key to cancer drug breakthrough

Published on Wednesday 8 June 2005 02:06

MIXING the fatty acids commonly found in fish such as tuna or sardines with an anti-cancer drug might create a breakthrough in the fight against the disease, doctors said yesterday.

The fish oil, Omega-3, is already thought to help prevent cancer, as well as maintaining a healthy heart and reducing cholesterol levels. Now research has found that mixing the fatty acid with the commonly used anaesthetic propofol may help to inhibit the growth of cancer.

Omega-3 fatty acids have a minor effect on cancer cells when applied alone, while propofol is known to inhibit cancer cell growth by 5-10 per cent. But according to the research in the journal Breast Cancer Research, when mixed, the compounds inhibit the spread of cancer.

No experiments have yet been done on animals, but doctors say the compounds could be developed into a new family of drugs.

Dr Rafat Siddiqui, from the Methodist Research Institute and Indiana University, in the United States, and colleagues studied the mix on breast cancer cells.

Combined, Omega-3 and propofol restricted cancer cell growth by up to 30 per cent and reduced cancer cell migration by 50 per cent.

Dr Siddiqui said this was because the fatty acids allowed the volatile anti-cancer drug to remain in the cell.

He said: "It is possible that they provide a mechanism whereby propofol can be retained in cell membranes for a longer duration and, therefore, enhance its anticancer effects".