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16 HEALTH AND LABORATORY MAGAZINE

OMEGA-3

SUPPLEMENTATION

COULD BOOST

IMMUNOTHERAPY’S

CANCER-FIGHTING

POWER

Immunotherapy and anti-
inflammatory therapy were
more effective when mice
consumed omega-3s.

Findings from a new study Sources of omega-3s models of primary and experienced accelerated mechanism of action of the
performed in mice suggest include fish, nuts, and seeds metastatic tumors for the tumor growth in certain potentially synergistic an-
that omega-3 fatty acids while omegas-6s are found new study. They began by tumor types. ti-tumor activity imparted
could help immunothera- in meats, eggs, and other feeding the mice either a by omega-3 supplementa-
py and other treatments foods. standard diet or a diet high In mice receiving the high tion. They are conducting
do a better job at fighting in omega-3 or 6 for 10 days omega-3 diet and both these studies with human
cancer. Immunotherapies, Omega-3 supplementation prior to tumor injection cancer treatments, up to cancer tissues and cells,
which stimulate the body’s improves the efficacy of and for the duration of the 67 percent of tumor growth human immune cells, and
own immune system to immunotherapy in sub- studies. One week after the was inhibited compared to animal models to aid
attack cancer, have revolu- cutaneous murine MB49 tumors were injected, mice mice receiving no treat- with translation to cancer
tionized cancer treatment, bladder cancer tumors. in each diet group were ment and a normal diet. patients. These new results
but they don’t work for Credit: Abigail Kelly, Beth started on immunotherapy, This indicates possible from Kelly and colleagues
every patient. Israel Deaconess Medical anti-inflammatory therapy, synergistic anti-tumor may represent a new
Center/Harvard Medical both therapies together, or activity, meaning that the treatment approach that
“Dietary interventions can School no treatment. combined effect may be remains to be evaluated in
be powerful tools because greater than the sum of its humans.
they are relatively simple In the new studies, Kelly Omega-3 supplementation parts.
and inexpensive to imple- and senior author Dipak in combination with inhibi-
ment,” said Abigail Kelly, a Panigraphy wanted to tion of sEH improves the “We demonstrated, for the
research assistant at Har- find out how diets supple- efficacy of immunotherapy first time, that the combi-
vard Medical School’s Beth mented with these fatty in subcutaneous murine nation of immunotherapy
Israel Deaconess Medical acids affected the anti-tu- Lewis Lung Carcinoma and anti-inflammatory
Center in Boston. “Our mor activity of immune tumors. Credit: Abigail Kel- treatment (sEHi) was more
findings show that ome- checkpoint blockade ly, Beth Israel Deaconess effective when mice were
ga-3 supplementation has immunotherapy and an Medical Center/Harvard fed diets enriched with
the potential to broadly im- anti-inflammatory therapy Medical School omega-3 fatty acids,”
prove immunotherapy and that inhibits the enzyme said Kelly. “This is very
other anti-cancer drugs in soluble epoxide hydrolase The researchers found promising because dietary
the clinical setting.” (sEH). The immunotherapy that dietary omega-3 supplementation is easy
has regulatory approval fatty acid supplementation to implement for cancer
Research from various lab- and is being used clinically blocked tumor growth in patients and can be added
oratories has suggested while the anti-inflamma- mice treated with immu- for patients already on
that omega-3 fatty acids tory therapy is undergoing notherapy, sEH inhibitor, immunotherapy.”
can help reduce cancer clinical development. or both treatments used
risk whereas consuming together. In contrast, mice The researchers are now
too much omega-6 fatty The researchers used on the high-omega-6 diet performing additional
acids can stimulate cancer. state-of-the-art mouse and given immunotherapy studies to determine the