title: Lipid metabolism, apoptosis and cancer therapy.
abstract: Lipid metabolism is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, and generates a variety of bioactive lipid molecules. These bioactive lipid molecules known as signaling molecules, such as fatty acid, eicosanoids, diacylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, lysophophatidic acid, ceramide, sphingosine, sphingosine-1-phosphate, phosphatidylinositol-3 phosphate, and cholesterol, are involved in the activation or regulation of different signaling pathways. Lipid metabolism participates in the regulation of many cellular processes such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, survival, apoptosis, inflammation, motility, membrane homeostasis, chemotherapy response, and drug resistance. Bioactive lipid molecules promote apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway by modulating mitochondrial membrane permeability and activating different enzymes including caspases. In this review, we discuss recent data in the fields of lipid metabolism, lipid-mediated apoptosis, and cancer therapy. In conclusion, understanding the underlying molecular mechanism of lipid metabolism and the function of different lipid molecules could provide the basis for cancer cell death rationale, discover novel and potential targets, and develop new anticancer drugs for cancer therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine and Cancer Center, Saint Louis University, 3655 Vista Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA. chunfahuang@slu.edu.
authors.forename: Chunfa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine and Cancer Center, Saint Louis University, 3655 Vista Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA. freterc@slu.edu.
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Freter
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D020404:Glycerophospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013107:Sphingolipids / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D020404:Glycerophospholipids; D035683:MicroRNAs; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D013107:Sphingolipids; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases