Dietary fatty acids specifically modulate phospholipid pattern in colon cells with distinct differentiation capacities.

Purpose: Although beneficial effects of the dietary n-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or butyrate in colon carcinogenesis have been implicated, the mechanisms of their action are not fully clear. Here, we investigated modulations of composition of individual phospholipid (PL) classes, with a particular emphasis on cardiolipins (CLs), in colon cells treated with DHA, sodium butyrate (NaBt), or their combination (DHA/NaBt), and we evaluated possible associations between lipid changes and cell fate after fatty acid treatment.

Methods: In two distinct human colon cell models, foetal colon (FHC) and adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) cells, we compared patterns and composition of individual PL classes following the fatty acid treatment by HPLC-MS/MS.