Resveratrol Modifies Lipid Composition of Two Cancer Cell Lines

Resveratrol (Resv) offers health benefits in cancer and has been reported to modulate important enzymes of lipid metabolism. Studies of its effects on lipid composition in different subtypes of breast-cancer cells are scarce. Thus, we investigated the alterations in phospholipids (PL), fatty acids (FA), and lipid metabolism enzymes in two breast-cancer cell lines after Resv treatment. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 80 and 200 mu M of Resv, respectively, for 24 hours. We analyzed PL with radiolabeled inorganic phosphate ((32)Pi) by thin-layer chromatography, FA by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and lipid metabolism enzymes (DGAT2, FAS, rho ACC beta, pAMPK alpha, and AMPK) by Western blot. Resv treated MDA-MB-231 phospholipids showed a reduction in phosphatidylcholine (63%) and phosphatidylethanolamine (35%). We observed an increase in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (73%) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (65%) in MCF-7 cells after Resv treatment. Interestingly, the same treatment caused 50% and 90% increases in EPA and DHA, respectively, in MDA-MB-231 cells. In MCF-7 cells, Resv increased the expression of rho ACC beta (3.3-fold) and AMPK alpha/rho AMPK alpha (1.5-fold) and in MDA-MB-231 cells it inhibited the expression of rho ACC beta (111.8-fold) and AMPK alpha/rho AMPK alpha (1.2 fold). Our results show that Resv modified PL and saturated and unsaturated FA especially in MDA-MB-231 cells, and open new perspectives to the understanding of the reported anticancer effect of Resv on these cells.