Journal Article

Aberrant lipid metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma cells as well as immune microenvironment: A review

Yang, Xiao‐Bo, Sang, Xin‐Ting, Hu, Bo, Lin, Jian‐Zhen

2020

Overview

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary malignancy of the liver with a high worldwide prevalence and poor prognosis. Researches are urgently needed on its molecular pathogenesis and biological characteristics. Metabolic reprogramming for adaptation to the tumour microenvironment (TME) has been recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Dysregulation of lipid metabolism especially fatty acid (FA) metabolism, which involved in the alternations of the expression and activity of lipid‐metabolizing enzymes, is a hotspot in recent study, and it may be involved in HCC development and progression. Meanwhile, immune cells are also known as key players in the HCC microenvironment and show complicated crosstalk with cancer cells. Emerging evidence has shown that the functions of immune cells in TME are closely related to abnormal lipid metabolism. In this review, we summarize the recent findings of lipid metabolic reprogramming in TME and relate these findings to HCC progression. Our understanding of dysregulated lipid metabolism and associated signalling pathways may suggest a novel strategy to treat HCC by reprogramming cell lipid metabolism or modulating TME.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subject: Alternations / Animals / Biosynthesis / Cancer / Cancer therapies / Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - immunology / Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - metabolism / Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology / Cell growth / Crosstalk / Dendritic cells / Dendritic Cells - immunology / Dendritic Cells - metabolism / Dendritic Cells - pathology / Enzymes / fatty acid oxidation / fatty acid synthesis / Fatty acids / Gene expression / Hepatocellular carcinoma / Humans / Hypoxia / Immune system / Immunity, Cellular / Kinases / Lipid Metabolism / Lipids / Liver cancer / Liver Neoplasms - immunology / Liver Neoplasms - metabolism / Liver Neoplasms - pathology / local immune status / Macrophages - immunology / Macrophages - metabolism / Macrophages - pathology / Malignancy / Medical prognosis / metabolic reprogramming / Metabolism / Metabolites / Metastasis / Mutation / Oxidation / Pathogenesis / Phosphorylation / Proteins / Review / Reviews / Signal transduction / Stem cells / Sterols / T-Lymphocytes - immunology / T-Lymphocytes - metabolism / T-Lymphocytes - pathology / Tumor Microenvironment / Tumor necrosis factor-TNF / Tumors / tumour microenvironment