Eiji Araki

Eicosatrienoic acid ω9 in serum lipids of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract Eicosatrienoic acid ω9 was detected in the serum lipids of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This unusual fatty acid was identified by argentation thin-layer chromatography followed by hydrogenation and a combination of gas—liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyloxy derivatives of the methyl esters. The incidence of eicosatrienoic acid ω9-positive cases in serum lipids was 37.5% in hepatocellular carcinoma ( 9 24 ), while there were no eicosatrienoic acid ω9-positive cases in metastatic liver carcinoma ( 0 14 ), liver cirrhosis ( 0 10 ) or in healthy controls ( 0 105 ). Positive correlations were found between the presence of this fatty acid and α1-fetoprotein in serum. In eicosatrienoic acid ω9-positive hepatocellular carcinoma, the limited distribution of eicosatrienoic acid cu9 to tumor tissue and serum was shown by the analysis of tissues of tumor, non-invasive cirrhotic liver, lung, spleen, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, pancreas, intestine and serum. The possibility was discussed that eicosatrienoic acid ω9 is one of the metabolic products of hepatocellular carcinoma.