The carcinostatic activity has been studied for
fatty acids of diverse species but scarcely for
fatty alcohols. Three unsaturated
fatty alcohols at 35-50 microM inhibited
DNA synthesis and the proliferation of
tumor cells by a combination with
hyperthermia to greater extents in the order: oleyl (C18:1)-> linoleyl (C18:2)-> alpha-linolenyl (C18:3) alcohol, which is an order inverse to that known for the corresponding
fatty acids (4). In contrast, two saturated
fatty alcohols, palmityl (C16:0)- and stearyl (C18:0)
alcohols, did not inhibit at the same concentrations. At 100 microM, palmityl alcohol inhibited, whereas
stearyl alcohol did not. The effective
fatty alcohols appreciably permeated the cells. The inhibition of the unsaturated
fatty alcohols on
DNA synthesis and proliferation was nearly proportional to the amount of their intercellular accumulation at 37 degrees C or 42 degrees C; the most inhibitory,
oleyl alcohol, was the most membrane-permeable, whilst inversely the least inhibitory, alpha-
linolenyl alcohol, was the least permeable. A proportional correlation was not observed for saturated
fatty alcohols; palmityl alcohol underwent an approximate 2-fold more abundant accumulation than other
fatty alcohols, but was weakly inhibitory. Thus,
oleyl alcohol may exert an antitumor action via appropriately efficient transmembrane permeation and a combination with
hyperthermia.