Saturated fat exacerbates mitochondrial dysfunction through remodelling of ATP production and inflammation in Barrett’s oesophagus compared to monounsaturated fat, particularly in contrast to oesophageal adenocarcinoma

Obesity-related oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), arising from Barrett’s oesophagus (BO), incidence rates are rising coincident with high-fat diets. However, adipose tissue phenotype drives metabolic characteristics. Prior feeding studies demonstrated that obesogenic diets enriched in saturated fatty acids (SFA) induce a more adverse metabolic and pro-inflammatory adipose phenotype, compared to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) enriched high-fat diets, despite equal obesity. We hypothesise that different fatty acids may alter the progression of BO to OAC, wherein SFA may be more pathogenic compared to MUFA. Proteomic analysis shows that SFA, not MUFA, increases fatty acid metabolism, oncogenic signalling, and mitochondrial respiratory chain to a greater extent in BO but not in OAC cells. Cellular metabolic analysis validated proteomic findings to show mitochondrial dysfunction in BO but showed an increase in glycolysis in OAC following SFA treatment compared to MUFA. Additionally, it showed a decrease in mitochondrial ATP production following treatment of SFA in BO and OAC cells. Reduction of SFA intake may be beneficial as a supplementary treatment approach to manage and/or prevent OAC progression.