Phospholipid class as a determinant in docosahexaenoic acid's effect on tumor cell viability.

Here we explore how incorporation of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) into murine leukemia cells (T27A) may alter membrane structure and function. When cells were cultured in DHA-supplemented medium, DHA incorporated rapidly and preferentially into phosphatidyl-ethanolamine (PE), with lesser and slower incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (PC). DHA at low concentrations preferred PE over neutral lipids, but in DHA excess accumulation in neutral lipids outstripped that of phospholipids.