Endogenous fatty acid synthesis in squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity*

We measured the synthesis of endogenous fatty acids in oral squamous cell carcinoma, its adjacent tissue, and normal oral tissues that were collected fresh from surgical specimens. The tissues were minced in Roswell Park Memorial Institute Medium 1640 (RPMI 1640) and incubated in [1(2)-14C] acetic acid, sodium salt (14CH314CO2Na). Total lipids were then extracted and14C was measured by scintillation counter. We found that incorporation of14C in the total lipids of squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher than in the other tissues.