Influence of Butyrate on Lipid Metabolism, Survival, and Differentiation of Colon Cancer Cells

The present work was designed to study the differentiating effect of butyrate on LS174T cells after modification of their lipids with long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) supplementation. The LCFAs 18:l(n-9), 18:2(n-6), 20:4(n-6), 20:5 (n-3), and 22:6(n-3) bound to albumin were added to the media of confluent cells for eight days. The fatty acid-to-albumin ratio was 3:L The concentration of fatty acids in the media was 100 pM. On the last day, half of the flasks were treated with 2 mM butyrate. The data indicate that supplementation with polyunsaturated LCFAs having 20–22 carbon atoms resulted in a significant reduction in cell density and viability, whereas all LCFA supplementation reduced differentiation as measured by alkaline phosphatase activity. Butyrate treatment increased the density, viability, and differentiation of the tumor cells. The effect of butyrate on differentiation was mainly with cells supplemented with 18:1, 20:5, and 22:6. In the absence of LCFA supplementation, butyrate reduced the concentration of 22:5(n-6) in the cellular lipids. Also, butyrate modified the LCFAs incorporated in cells supplemented with 18:2 and 20:5, with changes occurring in 20:5(n-3), 22:5(n-3), and 22:5(n-6). Thus the present study suggests an interaction between butyrate and LCFA on differentiation and LCFA metabolism of human colon cancer cells.