The Complexity of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Modulation of Signaling Pathways Related to Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide and is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Although cancer death rate has dropped by 23% since 1991, there are certain types of cancer for which death rates are still increasing, such as pancreatic cancer. There is an urgent need to find new therapies that could help improve this dreadful outcome. In this regard, the role of nutrition in health and disease has attracted much attention. Several dietary components are involved in metabolic, physiologic and cell signaling affecting tumor growth and progression. Although lipids, and more specifically polyunsaturated fatty acids, have been traditionally studied due to their health effects in cardiovascular disease, it is now clear that they can impact an extensive array of cellular processes that influence a wide range of diseases such as type II diabetes, inflammatory disorders and cancer. These biological activities may be grouped as regulation of: (1) membrane structure and function, (2) intracellular signaling pathways, (3) transcription factor activity, (4) gene expression, and (5) production of bioactive lipid mediators. The aim of this review is to assimilate the current state of knowledge about these potential mechanism(s) of action and signaling pathways modulated by polyunsaturated fatty acids in pancreatic cancer.