Fumonisin B1 protects against long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acid-induced cell death in HepG2 cells – implications for cancer promotion

Fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), a food-borne mycotoxin, is a cancer promoter in rodent liver and augments proliferation of initiated cells while inhibiting the growth of normal hepatocytes by disrupting lipid biosynthesis at various levels. HepG2 cancer cells exhibited resistance to FB₁-induced toxic effects presumably due to their low content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) even though FB₁-typical lipid changes were observed, e.g. significantly increased phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), decreased sphingomyelin and cholesterol content, increased sphinganine (Sa) and sphinganine/sphingosine ratio, increased C18:1ω-9, decreased C20:4ω-6 content in PE and decreased C20:4ω-6_PC/PE ratio. Increasing PUFA content of HepG2 cells with phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles containing C20:4ω-6 (SAPC) or C22:6ω-3 (SDPC) disrupted cell survival, cellular redox status and induced oxidative stress and apoptosis. A partially protective effect of FB₁ was evident in PUFA-enriched HepG2 cells which may be related to the FB₁-induced reduction in oxidative stress and the disruption of key cell membrane constituents indicative of a resistant lipid phenotype. Interactions between different ω-6 and ω-3 PUFA, membrane constituents including cholesterol, and the glycerophospho- and sphingolipids and FB₁ in this cell model provide further support for the resistant lipid phenotype and its role in the complex cellular effects underlying the cancer promoting potential of the fumonisins.