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Cell Feb 2024Phospholipids containing a single polyunsaturated fatty acyl tail (PL-PUFAs) are considered the driving force behind ferroptosis, whereas phospholipids with diacyl-PUFA...
Phospholipids containing a single polyunsaturated fatty acyl tail (PL-PUFAs) are considered the driving force behind ferroptosis, whereas phospholipids with diacyl-PUFA tails (PL-PUFAs) have been rarely characterized. Dietary lipids modulate ferroptosis, but the mechanisms governing lipid metabolism and ferroptosis sensitivity are not well understood. Our research revealed a significant accumulation of diacyl-PUFA phosphatidylcholines (PC-PUFAs) following fatty acid or phospholipid treatments, correlating with cancer cell sensitivity to ferroptosis. Depletion of PC-PUFAs occurred in aging and Huntington's disease brain tissue, linking it to ferroptosis. Notably, PC-PUFAs interacted with the mitochondrial electron transport chain, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) for initiating lipid peroxidation. Mitochondria-targeted antioxidants protected cells from PC-PUFA-induced mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), lipid peroxidation, and cell death. These findings reveal a critical role for PC-PUFAs in controlling mitochondria homeostasis and ferroptosis in various contexts and explain the ferroptosis-modulating mechanisms of free fatty acids. PC-PUFAs may serve as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for modulating ferroptosis.
Topics: Fatty Acids; Ferroptosis; Phosphatidylcholines; Phospholipids; Reactive Oxygen Species; Dietary Fats
PubMed: 38366593
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.030 -
Nature Feb 2024Mitochondria retain bacterial traits due to their endosymbiotic origin, but host cells do not recognize them as foreign because the organelles are sequestered. However,... (Review)
Review
Mitochondria retain bacterial traits due to their endosymbiotic origin, but host cells do not recognize them as foreign because the organelles are sequestered. However, the regulated release of mitochondrial factors into the cytosol can trigger cell death, innate immunity and inflammation. This selective breakdown in the 2-billion-year-old endosymbiotic relationship enables mitochondria to act as intracellular signalling hubs. Mitochondrial signals include proteins, nucleic acids, phospholipids, metabolites and reactive oxygen species, which have many modes of release from mitochondria, and of decoding in the cytosol and nucleus. Because these mitochondrial signals probably contribute to the homeostatic role of inflammation, dysregulation of these processes may lead to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. A potential reason for the increased incidence of these diseases may be changes in mitochondrial function and signalling in response to such recent phenomena as obesity, dietary changes and other environmental factors. Focusing on the mixed heritage of mitochondria therefore leads to predictions for future insights, research paths and therapeutic opportunities. Thus, whereas mitochondria can be considered 'the enemy within' the cell, evolution has used this strained relationship in intriguing ways, with increasing evidence pointing to the recent failure of endosymbiosis being critical for the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases.
Topics: Humans; Autoimmune Diseases; Diet; Homeostasis; Inflammation; Mitochondria; Mitochondrial Proteins; Models, Biological; Nucleic Acids; Obesity; Phospholipids; Reactive Oxygen Species; Symbiosis; Animals
PubMed: 38326590
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06866-z -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023With population and economic development increasing worldwide, the public is increasingly concerned with the health benefits and nutritional properties of vegetable oils... (Review)
Review
With population and economic development increasing worldwide, the public is increasingly concerned with the health benefits and nutritional properties of vegetable oils (VOs). In this review, the chemical composition and health-promoting benefits of 39 kinds of VOs were selected and summarized using Web of Science as the main bibliographic databases. The characteristic chemical compositions were analyzed from fatty acid composition, tocols, phytosterols, squalene, carotenoids, phenolics, and phospholipids. Health benefits including antioxidant activity, prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, diabetes treatment, and kidney and liver protection were examined according to the key components in representative VOs. Every type of vegetable oil has shown its own unique chemical composition with significant variation in each key component and thereby illustrated their own specific advantages and health effects. Therefore, different types of VOs can be selected to meet individual needs accordingly. For example, to prevent CVD, more unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols should be supplied by consuming pomegranate seed oil, flaxseed oil, or rice bran oil, while coconut oil or perilla seed oil have higher contents of total phenolics and might be better choices for diabetics. Several oils such as olive oil, corn oil, cress oil, and rice bran oil were recommended for their abundant nutritional ingredients, but the intake of only one type of vegetable oil might have drawbacks. This review increases the comprehensive understanding of the correlation between health effects and the characteristic composition of VOs, and provides future trends towards their utilization for the general public's nutrition, balanced diet, and as a reference for disease prevention. Nevertheless, some VOs are in the early stages of research and lack enough reliable data and long-term or large consumption information of the effect on the human body, therefore further investigations will be needed for their health benefits.
Topics: Humans; Rice Bran Oil; Plant Oils; Corn Oil; Coconut Oil; Cardiovascular Diseases
PubMed: 37687222
DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176393 -
HILPDA promotes NASH-driven HCC development by restraining intracellular fatty acid flux in hypoxia.Journal of Hepatology Aug 2023The prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising rapidly, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we...
BACKGROUND & AIMS
The prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising rapidly, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we aim to determine the role of hypoxia-inducible lipid droplet associated protein (HILPDA)/hypoxia-inducible gene 2 (HIG2), a selective inhibitor of intracellular lipolysis, in NASH-driven HCC.
METHODS
The clinical significance of HILPDA was assessed in human NASH-driven HCC specimens by immunohistochemistry and transcriptomics analyses. The oncogenic effect of HILPDA was assessed in human HCC cells and in 3D epithelial spheroids upon exposure to free fatty acids and either normoxia or hypoxia. Lipidomics profiling of wild-type and HILPDA knockout HCC cells was assessed via shotgun and targeted approaches. Wild-type (Hilpda) and hepatocyte-specific Hilpda knockout (Hilpda) mice were fed a Western diet and high sugar in drinking water while receiving carbon tetrachloride to induce NASH-driven HCC.
RESULTS
In patients with NASH-driven HCC, upregulated HILPDA expression is strongly associated with poor survival. In oxygen-deprived and lipid-loaded culture conditions, HILPDA promotes viability of human hepatoma cells and growth of 3D epithelial spheroids. Lack of HILPDA triggered flux of polyunsaturated fatty acids to membrane phospholipids and of saturated fatty acids to ceramide synthesis, exacerbating lipid peroxidation and apoptosis in hypoxia. The apoptosis induced by HILPDA deficiency was reversed by pharmacological inhibition of ceramide synthesis. In our experimental mouse model of NASH-driven HCC, Hilpda exhibited reduced hepatic steatosis and tumorigenesis but increased oxidative stress in the liver. Single-cell analysis supports a dual role of hepatic HILPDA in protecting HCC cells and facilitating the establishment of a pro-tumorigenic immune microenvironment in NASH.
CONCLUSIONS
Hepatic HILPDA is a pivotal oncometabolic factor in the NASH liver microenvironment and represents a potential novel therapeutic target.
IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, chronic metabolic liver disease caused by buildup of fat, inflammation and damage in the liver) is emerging as the leading risk factor and the fastest growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. While curative therapeutic options exist for HCC, it frequently presents at a late stage when such options are no longer effective and only systemic therapies are available. However, systemic therapies are still associated with poor efficacy and some side effects. In addition, no approved drugs are available for NASH. Therefore, understanding the underlying metabolic alterations occurring during NASH-driven HCC is key to identifying new cancer treatments that target the unique metabolic needs of cancer cells.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Mice; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Ceramides; Disease Models, Animal; Fatty Acids; Hypoxia; Liver; Liver Neoplasms; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 37061197
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2023.03.041 -
Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) Apr 2024NASH, characterized by inflammation and fibrosis, is emerging as a leading etiology of HCC. Lipidomics analyses in the liver have shown that the levels of...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
NASH, characterized by inflammation and fibrosis, is emerging as a leading etiology of HCC. Lipidomics analyses in the liver have shown that the levels of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) are decreased in patients with NASH, but the roles of membrane PC composition in the pathogenesis of NASH have not been investigated. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (LPCAT3), a phospholipid (PL) remodeling enzyme that produces polyunsaturated PLs, is a major determinant of membrane PC content in the liver.
APPROACH AND RESULTS
The expression of LPCAT3 and the correlation between its expression and NASH severity were analyzed in human patient samples. We examined the effect of Lpcat3 deficiency on NASH progression using Lpcat3 liver-specific knockout (LKO) mice. RNA sequencing, lipidomics, and metabolomics were performed in liver samples. Primary hepatocytes and hepatic cell lines were used for in vitro analyses. We showed that LPCAT3 was dramatically suppressed in human NASH livers, and its expression was inversely correlated with NAFLD activity score and fibrosis stage. Loss of Lpcat3 in mouse liver promotes both spontaneous and diet-induced NASH/HCC. Mechanistically, Lpcat3 deficiency enhances reactive oxygen species production due to impaired mitochondrial homeostasis. Loss of Lpcat3 increases inner mitochondrial membrane PL saturation and elevates stress-induced autophagy, resulting in reduced mitochondrial content and increased fragmentation. Furthermore, overexpression of Lpcat3 in the liver ameliorates inflammation and fibrosis of NASH.
CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate that membrane PL composition modulates the progression of NASH and that manipulating LPCAT3 expression could be an effective therapeutic for NASH.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Phospholipids; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Inflammation; Fibrosis; 1-Acylglycerophosphocholine O-Acyltransferase
PubMed: 36999536
DOI: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000000375 -
The Journal of Clinical Investigation Sep 2023The liver has a high demand for phosphatidylcholine (PC), particularly in overnutrition, where reduced phospholipid levels have been implicated in the development of...
The liver has a high demand for phosphatidylcholine (PC), particularly in overnutrition, where reduced phospholipid levels have been implicated in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Whether other pathways exist in addition to de novo PC synthesis that contribute to hepatic PC pools remains unknown. Here, we identified the lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) transporter major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A (Mfsd2a) as critical for maintaining hepatic phospholipid pools. Hepatic Mfsd2a expression was induced in patients having NAFLD and in mice in response to dietary fat via glucocorticoid receptor action. Mfsd2a liver-specific deficiency in mice (L2aKO) led to a robust nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-like (NASH-like) phenotype within just 2 weeks of dietary fat challenge associated with reduced hepatic phospholipids containing linoleic acid. Reducing dietary choline intake in L2aKO mice exacerbated liver pathology and deficiency of liver phospholipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Treating hepatocytes with LPCs containing oleate and linoleate, two abundant blood-derived LPCs, specifically induced lipid droplet biogenesis and contributed to phospholipid pools, while LPC containing the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) promoted lipid droplet formation and suppressed lipogenesis. This study revealed that PUFA-containing LPCs drive hepatic lipid droplet formation, suppress lipogenesis, and sustain hepatic phospholipid pools - processes that are critical for protecting the liver from excess dietary fat.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Phospholipids; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Liver; Lysophospholipids; Phosphatidylcholines; Dietary Fats; Overnutrition
PubMed: 37463052
DOI: 10.1172/JCI171267