FTIR investigations into the role of dietary fat in prostate cancer

Recent epidemiological studies have positively associated total dietary fat intake to prostate cancer (CaP) incidence and progression. However, the role of fat-specific intake remains unclear through these patient-orientated studies,which in-turn warrants the need for controlled molecular based investigations.

In this project we use FTIR microspectroscopy to measure the uptake and metabolism of the saturated fatty acid (FA), palmitic acid (PA) and the unsaturated FA, arachidonic acid (AA) using their deuterated analogues. The CD signal appears in a region of the spectrum that is clear from other bands so the labelled fatty acid can be uniquely identified in the spectrum. Figure 1 shows CD stretching bands from prostate PC3 cells cultured for 24h in media supplemented with D31 palmitic acid.

This figure shows the the CD signal IR image of fat storage cells (adipocytes) that have been loaded with D31 Palmitic acid. Most importantly we have found that the three PC3 cells next to the adipocytes that have not been loaded with D31 Palmitic acid gradually take on a CD signal. This signal can only have come from the D31 Palmitic acid in adiopcytes. This is the first observation showing the direct translocation of fatty acids from adipocytes to prostate cancer cells.This project is continuing using a range of differently labelled fatty acids.

Publications related to this project

The influence of the omega 6 PUFA arachidonic acid and bone marrow adipocytes on the metastatic spread of prostate cancer
M. Brown, C. Hart, E. Gazi, P. Gardner, N. Lockyer, N.Clarke
British Journal of Cancer, accepted

A FTIR Microspectroscopic Study of the Uptake and Metabolism of Isotopically Labelled Fatty Acids by Metastatic Prostate Cancer
E. Gazi, T.J. Harvey,M.D.Brown, N.W. Clarke, N.P. Lockyer, P. Gardner
Vibrational Spectroscopy, Published online 2nd Oct 2008, DOI:10.1016/j.vibspec.2008.09.006

Probing Lipid Translocation Between Adipocytes and Prostate Cancer Cells with Imaging FTIR Microspectroscopy
E.Gazi, P. Gardner, N.P Lockyer, C.A Hart, N.W. Clarke, M.D Brown
J. Lipid Research 48 (2007) 1846