Synergistic Effect of Eicosapentaenoic Acid on Antiproliferative Action of Anticancer Drugs in a Cancer Cell Line Model.

Background/aims: It has been found experimentally and clinically that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) exerts an anticancer effect and that it has a minimal adverse event profile relative to other anticancer drugs. Any synergy between EPA and other anticancer drugs could be of therapeutic relevance, especially in elderly or high-risk patients. Therefore, we investigated the synergism between anticancer drugs and EPA experimentally.

Methods: EPA was coadministered in vitro with various anticancer drugs (paclitaxel, docetaxel, 5-fluorouracil and cis-diamminedichloridoplatinum[II]) to TE-1 cells, which were derived from human esophageal cancer tumors. Cell proliferation was measured by the water soluble tetrazolium-1 method.

Result: Sub-threshold concentrations of EPA, which alone produced no anticancer effect, caused a synergistic suppressive effect on TE-1 cell proliferation when combined with other anticancer agents.

Conclusion: Coadministration of EPA with other anticancer drugs may represent a new therapeutic paradigm offering a reduced side effect profile.