Chu Zewen, Fang Lei, Xiang Yanwei, Ding Yue
School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Discov Oncol. 2025 Apr 30;16(1):647. doi: 10.1007/s12672-025-02430-5.
Cholesterol and its metabolic derivatives have important biological functions and are crucial in tumor initiation, progression, and treatment. Cholesterol maintains the physical properties of cellular membranes and is pivotal in cell signal transduction. Cholesterol metabolism includes both de novo synthesis and uptake from extracellular sources such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). This review explores both aspects to provide a comprehensive understanding of their roles in cancer. Cholesterol metabolism is involved in bile acid production and steroid hormone biosynthesis and is closely linked to the reprogramming of endogenous and exogenous cellular signals within the tumor microenvironment. These signals are intricately associated with key biological processes such as tumor cell proliferation, survival, invasion, and metastasis. Evidence suggests that regulating cholesterol metabolism may offer therapeutic benefits by inhibiting tumor growth, remodeling the immune microenvironment, and enhancing antitumor immune responses. This review summarizes the role of cholesterol metabolism in tumor biology and discusses the application of statins and other cholesterol metabolism inhibitors in cancer therapy, aiming to provide novel insights for the development of antitumor drugs targeting cholesterol metabolism and for advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
胆固醇及其代谢衍生物具有重要的生物学功能，在肿瘤的发生、发展和治疗中起着关键作用。胆固醇维持细胞膜的物理性质，在细胞信号转导中起关键作用。胆固醇代谢包括从头合成以及从细胞外来源如低密度脂蛋白（LDL）和高密度脂蛋白（HDL）摄取。本综述探讨了这两个方面，以全面了解它们在癌症中的作用。胆固醇代谢参与胆汁酸生成和类固醇激素生物合成，并与肿瘤微环境中内源性和外源性细胞信号的重编程密切相关。这些信号与肿瘤细胞增殖、存活、侵袭和转移等关键生物学过程错综复杂地相关。有证据表明，调节胆固醇代谢可能通过抑制肿瘤生长、重塑免疫微环境和增强抗肿瘤免疫反应而带来治疗益处。本综述总结了胆固醇代谢在肿瘤生物学中的作用，并讨论了他汀类药物和其他胆固醇代谢抑制剂在癌症治疗中的应用，旨在为开发针对胆固醇代谢的抗肿瘤药物以及癌症诊断和治疗的进展提供新的见解。
