PHYSICOCHEMICAL PERTURBATION OF ALPHA-LINOLENIC ACID-RELATED TO CELL-PROLIFERATION

The influence of fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and linoleic acid (LA), on lipid membrane dynamics and cell proliferation was inve stigated. Electron-spin resonance measurements with hoxycarbonyldecyl) -4,4-dimethyl-3-oxazolidinyloxyl revealed that the penetration of ALA or LA into the liposomal membrane causes an increase in the membrane f luidity and a decrease in the phase-transition temperature of the lipi d membrane. When human colon cancer cells (RPM14788 and BM314) and nor mal mouse fibroblast (L-cell) were incubated with ALA, the membrane fl uidity of the cancer cells significantly increased over that of normal cells. ALA made the cancer cell membrane more fluid than did LA. When ALA was administered at a concentration of 40 mug ml-1, it showed a s trong cytotoxicity against the cancer cells, but not to the normal cel ls. On the other hand, LA (up to 80 mug ml-1) rather promoted growth o f the cancer cells. These results seem able to be interpreted as an as pect of the selective cytotoxicities of ALA.