Exploring Interplay of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: A Promising Approach for Treatment of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Cancer, characterized by uncontrolled cell division and potential tissue spread, remains a significant health problem, with breast cancer being the most common in women, accounting for 25% of all cancer cases. Natural compounds have recently gained attention as they can improve the efficacy of cancer treatment. The aim of this study is to shed light on the potential benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of breast cancer. Overexpression of tyrosine kinase receptors and mutations in the breast cancer gene-1 (BRCA1) and BRCA2 genes lead to breast cancer in women. Based on the findings of papers published in various scientific search engines, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) may reduce the likelihood of developing breast cancer due to their anti-inflammatory properties. According to several studies, women who consume more n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have a lower risk of breast cancer. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids regulate breast cancer by controlling the inflammatory mediators, gene expression transcription factor and signal transducer, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) associated X protein or B-cell lymphoma-2, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase or Protein kinase B, Nuclear factor-κB, and toll-like receptor-4. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are considered a successful treatment for breast cancer patients when combined with chemotherapy drugs. Doxorubicin is a first-line drug for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. Giving doxorubicin and polyunsaturated fatty acids together makes chemotherapy treatments for triple-negative breast cancer work better in the MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. This review highlights the role of PUFAs in modulating cancer-related pathways, offering valuable insights for researchers, clinicians and the pharmaceutical industry in the fight against breast cancer.