Fatty Acid Metabolism in Ovarian Cancer: Therapeutic Implications

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 23; no. 4; p. 2170
• Main Authors: Yoon, Hyunho, Lee, Sanghoon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16.02.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; Cell growth; Cell proliferation; Deregulation; Fatty Acids; Humans; immune response; Immune system; Kinases; Lipid Metabolism; Lipids; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes B; Lymphocytes T; Macrophages; Metabolic pathways; Metabolites; Natural killer cells; Ovarian cancer; Ovarian Neoplasms - pathology; Oxidation; Review; Therapeutic targets; Tumor Microenvironment; Tumors; tumor microenvironment; immune response; ovarian cancer; lipid metabolism
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042170

Ovarian cancer is the most malignant gynecological tumor. Previous studies have reported that metabolic alterations resulting from deregulated lipid metabolism promote ovarian cancer aggressiveness. Lipid metabolism involves the oxidation of fatty acids, which leads to energy generation or new lipid metabolite synthesis. The upregulation of fatty acid synthesis and related signaling promote tumor cell proliferation and migration, and, consequently, lead to poor prognosis. Fatty acid-mediated lipid metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME) modulates tumor cell immunity by regulating immune cells, including T cells, B cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells, which play essential roles in ovarian cancer cell survival. Here, the types and sources of fatty acids and their interactions with the TME of ovarian cancer have been reviewed. Additionally, this review focuses on the role of fatty acid metabolism in tumor immunity and suggests that fatty acid and related lipid metabolic pathways are potential therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.