Colon cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, emphasizing the need for the discovery of new cellular targets. Using a metabolomics approach, we report here that epoxygenated fatty acids (EpFA), which are eicosanoid metabolites produced by cytochrome P450 (CYP) monooxygenases, were increased in both the plasma and colon of azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colon cancer mice. CYP monooxygenases were overexpressed in colon tumor tissues and colon cancer cells. Pharmacologic inhibition or genetic ablation of CYP monooxygenases suppressed AOM/DSS-induced colon tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, treatment with 12,13-epoxyoctadecenoic acid (EpOME), which is a metabolite of CYP monooxygenase produced from linoleic acid, increased cytokine production and JNK phosphorylation in vitro and exacerbated AOM/DSS-induced colon tumorigenesis in vivo. Together, these results demonstrate that the previously unappreciated CYP monooxygenase pathway is upregulated in colon cancer, contributes to its pathogenesis, and could be therapeutically explored for preventing or treating colon cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: This study finds that the previously unappreciated CYP monooxygenase eicosanoid pathway is deregulated in colon cancer and contributes to colon tumorigenesis.

The incidence of metabolic and chronic diseases including cancer, obesity, inflammation-related diseases sharply increased in the 21st century. Major underlying causes for these diseases are inflammation and oxidative stress. Accordingly, natural products and their bioactive components are obvious therapeutic agents for these diseases, given their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Research in this area has been significantly expanded to include chemical identification of these compounds using advanced analytical techniques, determining their mechanism of action, food fortification and supplement development, and enhancing their bioavailability and bioactivity using nanotechnology. These timely topics were discussed at the 20th Frontier Scientists Workshop sponsored by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on 23 November 2019. Scientists from South Korea and the U.S. shared their recent research under the overarching theme of Bioactive Compounds, Nanoparticles, and Disease Prevention. This review summarizes presentations at the workshop to provide current knowledge of the role of natural products in the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.