CONJUGATED DIENOIC LINOLEATE - A POLYUNSATURATED FATTY-ACID WITH UNIQUE CHEMOPROTECTIVE PROPERTIES

Conjugated dienoic linoleate (CLA), a linoleic acid derivative, has re ceived considerable attention as a chemoprotective agent in the past f ew years because it has been shown experimentally to inhibit rat mamma ry tumorigenesis, mouse forestomach neoplasia, and mouse skin carcinog enesis. CLA has several unique structural and functional properties re sulting in chemical and physiological effects that are different from those of all-cis, nonconjugated polyunsaturated fatty acids. In turn, these unique qualities appear to modulate cellular processes involved in carcinogenesis. This review will introduce the chemical background of conjugated dienoic linoleate, examine findings describing its chemo protective qualities, present possible mechanisms of chemoprotection, and correlate the possible significance of dietary CLA modulation to c arcinogenesis to humans.