Octanoic acid-rich diet alleviates breast cancerinduced bone pain via the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway

• Published in: The Korean journal of pain pp. 138 - 151
• Main Authors: Longjie Xu, Lili Hou, Chun Cao, Xiaohua Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 대한통증학회 01.04.2025
• Subjects: 마취과학
• ISSN: 2005-9159; 2093-0569
• DOI: 10.3344/kjp.24388

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor that has a high tendency to metastasis to the bone, leading to cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP). Ghrelin can not only stimulate appetite and regulate energy balance, but also alleviate CIBP by inducing NPY expression. Octanoic acid (OA), a type of medium chain fatty acids, provides an energy substrate and promotes acylation of ghrelin. However, it remains to be elucidated whether an OA-rich diet can alleviate CIBP by activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Methods: First, thirty-six Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham, CIBP, CIBP + OA (20), CIBP + OA (40), CIBP + OA (60) and CIBP + OA (80) groups to investigate the effects of diets with different ratios of OA on CIBP and the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Next, a ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) inhibitor was exogenously administered to investigate whether an OA-rich diet alleviated CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway. Results: An OA-rich diet significantly alleviated nociceptive behaviors and increased the levels of acyl-ghrelin and NPY in a dose-dependent manner in cancer-bearing rats. With the exogenous administration of the GOAT inhibitor, the beneficial effects of an OA-rich diet on the acyl-ghrelin/NPY pathway and its pain-relieving effects were attenuated. Conclusions: An OA-rich diet could alleviate CIBP through increasing the level of acyl-ghrelin and activating the acylghrelin/ NPY pathway. KCI Citation Count: 0