Micro-XRF Application in the Study on the Effect of Diets Rich in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Breast Tumours

Abstract

Abstract: 

The aim of this work was to develop a methodology to determine the local concentration of calcium, zinc, iron, sulphur, manganese and copper in murine adenocarcinomas using Micro X-ray Fluorescence (micro-XRF) with synchrotron radiation.  The objective is to study the effect of ω-3 and a ω-6 PUFAs diets so as to obtain an early breast cancer diagnosis.

In this research, forty-two BALB/C mice were utilized and distributed in three equal dietary groups in a period of three months. The first group was administered with Chia Seed Oil (ChO) as a ω-3 source. The second group was administered with Safflower oil (SfO) as a ω-6 source and the third group corresponds to the control group (Ctrol) without lipid aggregates. In all cases, a commercial diet was adopted (Cargill, Incorporated, Argentina) and its composition consists of 20 % proteins, 64 % carbohydrates, 4 % fiber and 6 % fats. Food and water were provided ad libitum. In order to conduct the micro – XRF analysis, the samples were cut with a size of 30 µm and adhered to a Kapton 8 µm film (Chemplex Industries, Inc.) with a PVA liquid solution of high purity (SigmaAldrich). A two-dimensional Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was done with the purpose of interpreting the results that were obtained from the possible influence mechanisms of polyunsaturated fatty acids on the tumour metabolism. In this way, it was possible to study the spatial correlations of Ca, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, and S in the three sample groups.

The technique of multivariate statistical analysis does not lead to information loss, but rather it contributes a new perspective to the original data. From the data gathered, a positive and significant correlation was observed between Ca and Zn in all samples. In the case of the ChO group, this correlation was further accompanied with a significant increase of the local content of Ca and Zn in regions with high level of cellular metabolism with respect to the samples of Ctrol and SfO groups.