Distribution and clinical relevance of phospholipids in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and featured with prominent disparity in incidence and mortality rate between male and female. It remains unclear whether alterations of phospholipids (PL) in hepatic tissues contribute to the pathogenesis, progression, and disparity of HCC. Methods Using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), PL profiles including 320 individual phospholipid species in 13 PL classes were determined in paired samples from HCC and adjacent benign hepatic tissues (BHT). Results (1) Concentrations of PLs in most of individual species, in subgroups and in total were decreased in HCC than in BHT in all studied population; (2) the number of individual PL species significantly different between HCC and BHT, and the number of PLs in six subgroups and in total decreased in HCC were more in male population than in female population; (3) panels of PL parameters (more in male population than in female population) were identified as biomarkers in differentiation of HCC from BHT, and in the prediction of pathological grade and clinical stage of HCC with high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Conclusion It is concluded that alterations of PLs in hepatic tissues play important roles in pathogenesis, progression, and gender disparity of HCC.

Diagnostic and prognostic potential of tissue phospholipidomics in hepatocellular carcinoma: A prospective cohort study

“…A metabolic study on tissue samples showed signi cantly lower PCs in HCC compared to NAT. As the author explained, decrease in PC and other choline-containing PLs in HCC might mean that the metabolism of these PLs is bene cial to the degradation catalyzed by PC-speci c phospholipase in Kennedy pathway [11]. In our study, the total PC class was signi cantly increased in HCC tissue than in NAT.…”

“…Changes in PLs composition and distribution in cells, tissues, and bio uids are linked to cancer and explored as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in various cancers [8][9][10]. PL analysis has been applied to study lipid proteomics in HCC research using model hepatocyte lines and three-dimensional culture systems [11][12][13]. PLs associated with HCC includes lysophospholipids (LPLs), crucial signaling lipids, and ether lipids acting as endogenous antioxidants [14].…”

Accumulation of cholesterol, triglycerides and ceramides in hepatocellular carcinomas of diethylnitrosamine injected mice

“…It is likely that PU-species are lower in the tumors, and a decline of PC and PE levels was also described [ 79 – 81 ]. Of note, PE-plasmalogens were low in HCC tissues of patients and this may contribute to oxidative stress [ 5 , 80 , 82 ]. In the DEN model, none of the analysed phospholipid classes were largely changed in the tumors.…”

Lipid alterations in chronic liver disease and liver cancer

“…Phospholipids are also significantly implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis. 133 , 138 MUFA-PCs accumulate in HCC tumours, 134 while PUFA-PCs and SFA-PCs are depleted. Moreover, MUFA-PCs are associated with a switch in the proliferative capacity of hepatocytes and with the onset of HCC.…”