Therapeutic radiation exposure of the abdomen during childhood induces chronic adipose tissue dysfunction

Adipose Tissues Have Been Overlooked as Players in Prostate Cancer Progression

Obesity is a common risk factor in multiple tumor types, including prostate cancer. Obesity has been associated with driving metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and increased mortality. The effect of adipose tissue on the tumor microenvironment is still poorly understood. This review aims to highlight the work conducted in the field of obesity and prostate cancer and bring attention to areas where more research is needed. In this review, we have described key differences between healthy adipose tissues and obese adipose tissues, as they relate to the tumor microenvironment, focusing on mechanisms related to metabolic changes, abnormal adipokine secretion, altered immune cell presence, and heightened oxidative stress as drivers of prostate cancer formation and progression. Interestingly, common treatment options for prostate cancer ignore the adipose tissue located near the site of the tumor. Because of this, we have outlined how excess adipose tissue potentially affects therapeutics' efficacy, such as androgen deprivation, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment, and identified possible drug targets to increase prostate cancer responsiveness to clinical treatments. Understanding how obesity affects the tumor microenvironment will pave the way for understanding why some prostate cancers become metastatic or treatment-resistant, and why patients experience recurrence.

Exogenous APN protects normal tissues from radiation-induced oxidative damage and fibrosis in mice and prostate cancer patients with higher levels of APN have less radiation-induced toxicities

Radiation causes damage to normal tissues that leads to increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis, highlighting the need for the selective radioprotection of healthy tissues without hindering radiotherapy effectiveness in cancer. This study shows that adiponectin, an adipokine secreted by adipocytes, protects normal tissues from radiation damage invitro and invivo. Specifically, adiponectin (APN) reduces chronic oxidative stress and fibrosis in irradiated mice. Importantly, APN also conferred no protection from radiation to prostate cancer cells. Adipose tissue is the primary source of circulating endogenous adiponectin. However, this study shows that adipose tissue is sensitive to radiation exposure exhibiting morphological changes and persistent oxidative damage. In addition, radiation results in a significant and chronic reduction in blood APN levels from adipose tissue in mice and human prostate cancer patients exposed to pelvic irradiation. APN levels negatively correlated with bowel toxicity and overall toxicities associated with radiotherapy in prostate cancer patients. Thus, protecting, or modulating APN signaling may improve outcomes for prostate cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Proceedings of the annual meeting of the European Consortium of Lipodystrophies (ECLip), Pisa, Italy, 28-29 September 2023

Lipodystrophy syndromes are rare diseases primarily affecting the development or maintenance of the adipose tissue but are also distressing indirectly multiple organs and tissues, often leading to reduced life expectancy and quality of life. Lipodystrophy syndromes are multifaceted disorders caused by genetic mutations or autoimmunity in the vast majority of cases. While many subtypes are now recognized and classified, the disease remains remarkably underdiagnosed. The European Consortium of Lipodystrophies (ECLip) was founded in 2014 as a non-profit network of European centers of excellence working in the field of lipodystrophies aiming at promoting international collaborations to increase basic scientific understanding and clinical management of these syndromes. The network has developed a European Patient Registry as a collaborative research platform for consortium members. ECLip and ECLip registry activities involve patient advocacy groups to increase public awareness and to seek advice on research activities relevant from the patients perspective. The annual ECLip congress provides updates on the research results of various network groups members.

Potential role of gut microbiota-LCA-INSR axis in high fat-diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver dysfunction: From perspective of radiation variation

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a progressive disease of the liver covering a range of conditions from hepatic steatosis to liver fibrosis. NAFLD could be induced by High-fat-diet(HFD). Ionizing radiation is widely used in medical diagnosis and therapy as well as is a common risk factor in occupational environment. Whether the exposure of various dose of radiation has effects on HFD-induced NAFLD remains unclear. Here, we reported that radiation exposure promoted HFD-induced NAFLD in a dose-response manner. Furthermore, the gut microbiota composition had significant difference among mice with or without radiation treatment. Specifically, the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio, the abundance of A. muciniphila, Butyricococcus, and Clostridiaceae decreased significantly in the mice with co-exposure of high dose of radiation and HFD treatment. A fecal transplantation trial (FMT) further verified the role of gut microbiota in the regulation of the liver response to co-exposure of high dose of radiation and HFD treatment. Notably, the gut microbiome analysis showed plasma lithocholic acid (LCA) level increased in the mice with co-exposure of high dose of radiation and HFD treatment. Following antibiotic and probiotic treatments there was a significantly decreased LCA bile acid concentration and subsequent promotion of INSR/PI3K/Akt insulin signaling in the liver tissues. Our results demonstrate that the co-exposure of radiation and HFD aggravates the HFD-induced NAFLD through gut microbiota-LCA-INSR axis. Probiotics supplementation is a potential way to protect against co-exposure of radiation and HFD-induced liver damage. Meanwhile, our study provide a new insight that population with potential HFD-induced damage should pay more attention on preventing from liver damage while exposing radiation.

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Gut microbiota-lithocholic acid-insulin receptor (LCA-INSR) axis involves the promotion effects of radiation on HFD-induced NAFLD.

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Probiotics improve the liver damage induced by co-exposure of radiation and HFD.