Changes in Fatty Acid Composition of Thymus Cells, Liver, Blood Plasma, and Muscle Tissue in Mice with Solid Ehrlich Carcinoma

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T. P. Kulagina^1*, A. V. Aripovsky², and A. B. Gapeyev¹

¹Institute of Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Institutskaya 3, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia; fax: (496) 733-0509; E-mail: tpkulagina@rambler.ru

²Scientific Center of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 142279 Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received July 7, 2011; Revision received October 4, 2011

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The fatty acid composition of thymus cells, liver, blood plasma, muscle tissue, and tumor focus has been studied in mice with solid Ehrlich carcinoma. The tumor growth in the mice was associated with an increase in the total content of monounsaturated fatty acids in all organs and tissues studied and with a decrease in the total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids in all tissues except blood plasma. The tumor tissue was characterized by increased levels of monounsaturated fatty acids in comparison with their levels in organs and tissues of intact animals. In the thymus of tumor-bearing mice, the contents of myristic and palmitic saturated fatty acids, which are associated with activation of the T-cell immunity, were increased. The most expressed and considerable changes in the fatty acid composition during tumor growth were observed in the muscle tissue of the animals. A possible role of changes in the fatty acid composition in the investigated organs and tissues of tumor-bearing mice in the organism’s response to tumor growth is discussed.

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KEY WORDS: Ehrlich carcinoma, fatty acids, thymus, liver, blood plasma, muscle tissue

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297912020101

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