Effects of gamma-linolenic and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acids on 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)anthracene-induced mammary tumors in rats.

The effects of pure gamma-linolenic acid (GLA; C18:3, n-6) and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA; C20:3, n-6) were investigated in 7,12-dimethylbenz(alpha)anthracene (DMBA) (10 mg/rat)-induced mammary tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats. 0.15 g of GLA, DGLA, or corn oil (CO) were administered (two times per week) by oral intubation, for 12 weeks to rats maintained on a 5% (w/w) CO diet. Tumor incidence, tumor multiplicity, and percent of tumor-bearing rats were highest in the CO group. Tumor multiplicity was significantly reduced in the GLA group (p = 0.015). Feeding of GLA and DGLA resulted in significant alterations in levels of these fatty acids in phospholipids of mammary tissue, thymus, colon, liver, stomach, and ovary. These results suggest that GLA may have a small, but significant, inhibitory effect on the development of DMBA-induced mammary tumors in rats.