Low cytotoxicity of linoleic acid-derived epoxy-fatty acids in liver and colon cell lines
Linoleic acid-derived epoxy-fatty acids (EpOMEs) are found in oxidized plant oils and processed foods. Consumption of oxidized oils may lead to a variety of negative health effects. Due to the assumed chemical reactivity of the epoxy-group, toxicity of epoxy-fatty acids, such as 9(10)-EpOME and 12(13)-EpOME, is frequently discussed. Therefore, we investigated the effect of 9(10)-EpOME and 12(13)-EpOME on cell viability by evaluating cell proliferation, LDH leakage, lysosomal integrity and dehydrogenase activity in HepG2 and Caco2 cells. Both tested epoxy-fatty acids show no or low cytotoxicity only above 50 μM in both cell lines, with 12(13)-EpOME being slightly more cytotoxic. This concentration is well above endogenous levels of EpOMEs in circulation.
Authors
- Henrik Reuter
- Nils Helge Schebb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1299-6629)
- Kathrin Plitzko
- Christophe Morisseau
- Nadja Kampschulte
- Katja Mosel
Institutions
- University of Wuppertal (DE)
- University of California, Davis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports
- Published
- 2026-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102607
- Primary Topic
- Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft