Comparative analysis of the effects of vitamin E succinate (VES) on LNCaP tumor growth in BALB/c nude mice fed high fat diet based on cottonseed oil (CSO)

Angiogenesis and apoptosis play important roles in the promotion and inhibition of solid tumor growth respectively. In this study we compared the effects of a high fat diet (20% CSO) and VES on the growth of LNCaP tumor cells in 24 male BALB/c nu/nu mice. Methods: At day 0 all mice received a subcutaneous injection of 1x10 6 LNCaP cells in 0.2 mL matrigel and were randomly divided into two groups. Starting on day 21 one group was given intraperitoneal injection of VES in sesame oil and the other received only sesame oil three times a week. Tumors were measured weekly using a vernier caliper. At day 56 mice were sacrificed and tumors were harvested for histological (H&E) and apoptosis (TUNEL) analyses. Results: Tumors were established in 58.3% of mice in both groups. No differences were found in the final tumor volumes (p=0.11), tumor weights (p=0.22), the number of apoptotic cells (TUNEL‐positive cells, p=0.45) or the number of vessels per unit length (H&E slides, p=0.17). There was no correlation between the number of apoptotic cells and tumor volume or tumor weight. Tumor weight was negatively correlated with the mice carcass weight (R=−0.83). The number of apoptotic cells was negatively correlated with the vascularity scoring (R=−0.48). Conclusion: VES treatment did not show any effect in inhibiting the growth of established tumors in these BALB/c nu/nu mice fed high fat diet. Supported by the TWU Human Nutrition Fund.