He Jiangnan, Siu Michelle K Y, Ngan Hextan Y S, Chan Karen K L
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Li Ka Shing (LKS) Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, SAR China.
Front Oncol. 2021 Nov 8;11:738177. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.738177. eCollection 2021.
Cholesterol is an essential substance in mammalian cells, and cholesterol metabolism plays crucial roles in multiple biological functions. Dysregulated cholesterol metabolism is a metabolic hallmark in several cancers, beyond the Warburg effect. Reprogrammed cholesterol metabolism has been reported to enhance tumorigenesis, metastasis and chemoresistance in multiple cancer types, including ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies worldwide. Alterations in metabolic pathways are characteristic features of ovarian cancer; however, the specific role of cholesterol metabolism remains to be established. In this report, we provide an overview of the key proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism in ovarian cancer, including the rate-limiting enzymes in cholesterol biosynthesis, and the proteins involved in cholesterol uptake, storage and trafficking. Also, we review the roles of cholesterol and its derivatives in ovarian cancer and the tumor microenvironment, and discuss promising related therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.
胆固醇是哺乳动物细胞中的一种必需物质，胆固醇代谢在多种生物学功能中发挥着关键作用。除了瓦伯格效应外，胆固醇代谢失调是几种癌症的代谢特征。据报道，重编程的胆固醇代谢会增强多种癌症类型（包括卵巢癌）的肿瘤发生、转移和化疗耐药性。卵巢癌是全球最具侵袭性的恶性肿瘤之一。代谢途径的改变是卵巢癌的特征性表现；然而，胆固醇代谢的具体作用仍有待确定。在本报告中，我们概述了卵巢癌中参与胆固醇代谢的关键蛋白，包括胆固醇生物合成中的限速酶，以及参与胆固醇摄取、储存和运输的蛋白。此外，我们还综述了胆固醇及其衍生物在卵巢癌和肿瘤微环境中的作用，并讨论了卵巢癌有前景的相关治疗靶点。
