Ahmed Darakhshan Sohail, Isnard Stéphane, Lin John, Routy Bertrand, Routy Jean-Pierre
Infectious Disease and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Division of Hematology and Chronic Viral Illness Service, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
J Cancer. 2021 Jan 1;12(4):1125-1132. doi: 10.7150/jca.50376. eCollection 2021.
Cachexia is a metabolic mutiny that directly reduces life expectancy in chronic conditions such as cancer. The underlying mechanisms associated with cachexia involve inflammation, metabolism, and anorexia. Therefore, the need to identify cachexia biomarkers is warranted to better understand catabolism change and assess various therapeutic interventions. Among inflammatory proteins, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15), an atypical transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily member, emerges as a stress-related hormone. In inflammatory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, GDF15 is a biomarker for disease outcome. GDF15 is also implicated in energy homeostasis, body weight regulation, and plays a distinct role in cachexia. The recent discovery of its receptor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family receptor α-like (GFRAL), sheds light on its metabolic function. Herein, we critically review the mechanisms involving GDF15 in cancer cachexia and discuss therapeutic interventions to improve outcomes in people living with cancer.
恶病质是一种代谢紊乱，直接缩短癌症等慢性疾病患者的预期寿命。与恶病质相关的潜在机制涉及炎症、代谢和厌食。因此，有必要识别恶病质生物标志物，以更好地了解分解代谢变化并评估各种治疗干预措施。在炎症蛋白中，生长分化因子15（GDF15）是一种非典型的转化生长因子-β（TGF-β）超家族成员，它作为一种应激相关激素出现。在炎症性疾病、心血管疾病和癌症中，GDF15是疾病预后的生物标志物。GDF15还与能量稳态、体重调节有关，并且在恶病质中发挥独特作用。最近对其受体胶质细胞源性神经营养因子（GDNF）家族受体α样（GFRAL）的发现，揭示了其代谢功能。在此，我们批判性地综述了GDF15在癌症恶病质中的作用机制，并讨论了改善癌症患者预后的治疗干预措施。
