Δ¹²-prostaglandin J₃, an omega-3 fatty acid-derived metabolite, selectively ablates leukemia stem cells in mice

Targeting cancer stem cells is of paramount importance in successfully preventing cancer relapse. Recently, in silico screening of public gene-expression datasets identified cyclooxygenase-derived cyclopentenone prostaglandins (CyPGs) as likely agents to target malignant stem cells. We show here that Δ¹²-PGJ₃, a novel and naturally produced CyPG from the dietary fish-oil ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5) alleviates the development of leukemia in 2 well-studied murine models of leukemia. IP administration of Δ¹²-PGJ₃ to mice infected with Friend erythroleukemia virus or those expressing the chronic myelogenous leukemia oncoprotein BCRABL in the hematopoietic stem cell pool completely restored normal hematologic parameters, splenic histology, and enhanced survival. More importantly, Δ¹²-PGJ₃ selectively targeted leukemia stem cells (LSCs) for apoptosis in the spleen and BM. This treatment completely eradicated LSCs in vivo, as demonstrated by the inability of donor cells from treated mice to cause leukemia in secondary transplantations. Given the potency of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid-derived CyPGs and the well-known refractoriness of LSCs to currently used clinical agents, Δ¹²- PGJ₃ may represent a new chemotherapeutic for leukemia that targets LSCs.