DHA May Boost the Cancer-Fighting Power of Two Prostate Cancer Drugs in Lab Studies

This laboratory study looked at how docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, interacts with two existing prostate cancer treatments—enzalutamide and a PARP inhibitor called AZD2461—in human prostate cancer cells grown in dishes (specifically two cell lines known as 22Rv1 and PC3, which represent different forms of castration-resistant prostate cancer).

Researchers found that adding DHA increased the cell-killing effects of the PARP inhibitor in both cell lines, and increased the effects of enzalutamide in one of the two cell lines (22Rv1). The way DHA achieved this differed between cell types: in PC3 cells, it appeared to work by lowering activity of a growth-signaling pathway (AKT) and certain lipid-sensing proteins, pushing cells toward a specific type of cell death called necroptosis. In 22Rv1 cells, DHA worked through a different route involving other lipid-related proteins and triggered a more classic form of cell death called apoptosis.

The study also examined cell movement (a marker related to cancer spread) and found mixed results—DHA blocked the drugs’ ability to slow cell movement in one cell line but had no added effect in the other, suggesting the interactions are complex and depend on the specific molecular makeup of the cancer cells.