Comparison of the inhibitory effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids on prostaglandin synthesis. II. Fibroblasts

In a previous publication (1) we reported that PUFAs of the n-6 and n-3 series caused significant inhibition of synthesis of both PGE 2 (28.4–92.8%) and PGF 2α (24.4–84.0%) in the oral squamous carcinoma cell line SCC-25. In this report we describe the inhibitory effect of the same acids on PG synthesis in normal human gingival fibroblasts under the same experimental conditions. It was found that a combination of EPA + DCHA (6:4), DCHA and ALA caused significant reduction in synthesis of PGE 2 (10.1–87.8%) and PGF 2α (14.0–54.6%) at the four dose levels studied. The rank order of potency of acids in reduction of PG synthesis was: EPA + DCHA>DCHA>EPA>ALA>LA>DGLA>GLA. The data suggest that although PUFAs are effective inhibitors of PG synthesis by gingival fibroblasts and SCC-25, the fibroblast is less susceptible to the inhibitory effect of fatty acids.