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Cui P, Li X, Huang C, Lin D. Metabolomics-driven discovery of therapeutic targets for cancer cachexia. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2024. [PMID: 38644205 DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer cachexia (CC) is a devastating metabolic syndrome characterized by skeletal muscle wasting and body weight loss, posing a significant burden on the health and survival of cancer patients. Despite ongoing efforts, effective treatments for CC are still lacking. Metabolomics, an advanced omics technique, offers a comprehensive analysis of small-molecule metabolites involved in cellular metabolism. In CC research, metabolomics has emerged as a valuable tool for identifying diagnostic biomarkers, unravelling molecular mechanisms and discovering potential therapeutic targets. A comprehensive search strategy was implemented to retrieve relevant articles from primary databases, including Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed, for CC and metabolomics. Recent advancements in metabolomics have deepened our understanding of CC by uncovering key metabolic signatures and elucidating underlying mechanisms. By targeting crucial metabolic pathways including glucose metabolism, amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, bile acid metabolism, ketone body metabolism, steroid metabolism and mitochondrial energy metabolism, it becomes possible to restore metabolic balance and alleviate CC symptoms. This review provides a comprehensive summary of metabolomics studies in CC, focusing on the discovery of potential therapeutic targets and the evaluation of modulating specific metabolic pathways for CC treatment. By harnessing the insights derived from metabolomics, novel interventions for CC can be developed, leading to improved patient outcomes and enhanced quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Cui
- College of Food and Pharmacy, Xuchang University, Xuchang, China
| | - Xiaoyi Li
- Xuchang Central Hospital, Xuchang, China
| | - Caihua Huang
- Research and Communication Center of Exercise and Health, Xiamen University of Technology, Xiamen, China
| | - Donghai Lin
- Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis and Instrumentation, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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Lu H. Inflammatory liver diseases and susceptibility to sepsis. Clin Sci (Lond) 2024; 138:435-487. [PMID: 38571396 DOI: 10.1042/cs20230522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Patients with inflammatory liver diseases, particularly alcohol-associated liver disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), have higher incidence of infections and mortality rate due to sepsis. The current focus in the development of drugs for MAFLD is the resolution of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and prevention of progression to cirrhosis. In patients with cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis, sepsis is a major cause of death. As the metabolic center and a key immune tissue, liver is the guardian, modifier, and target of sepsis. Septic patients with liver dysfunction have the highest mortality rate compared with other organ dysfunctions. In addition to maintaining metabolic homeostasis, the liver produces and secretes hepatokines and acute phase proteins (APPs) essential in tissue protection, immunomodulation, and coagulation. Inflammatory liver diseases cause profound metabolic disorder and impairment of energy metabolism, liver regeneration, and production/secretion of APPs and hepatokines. Herein, the author reviews the roles of (1) disorders in the metabolism of glucose, fatty acids, ketone bodies, and amino acids as well as the clearance of ammonia and lactate in the pathogenesis of inflammatory liver diseases and sepsis; (2) cytokines/chemokines in inflammatory liver diseases and sepsis; (3) APPs and hepatokines in the protection against tissue injury and infections; and (4) major nuclear receptors/signaling pathways underlying the metabolic disorders and tissue injuries as well as the major drug targets for inflammatory liver diseases and sepsis. Approaches that focus on the liver dysfunction and regeneration will not only treat inflammatory liver diseases but also prevent the development of severe infections and sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210, U.S.A
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More TH, Hiller K, Seifert M, Illig T, Schmidt R, Gronauer R, von Hahn T, Weilert H, Stang A. Metabolomics analysis reveals novel serum metabolite alterations in cancer cachexia. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1286896. [PMID: 38450189 PMCID: PMC10915872 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1286896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Cachexia is a body wasting syndrome that significantly affects well-being and prognosis of cancer patients, without effective treatment. Serum metabolites take part in pathophysiological processes of cancer cachexia, but apart from altered levels of select serum metabolites, little is known on the global changes of the overall serum metabolome, which represents a functional readout of the whole-body metabolic state. Here, we aimed to comprehensively characterize serum metabolite alterations and analyze associated pathways in cachectic cancer patients to gain new insights that could help instruct strategies for novel interventions of greater clinical benefit. Methods Serum was sampled from 120 metastatic cancer patients (stage UICC IV). Patients were grouped as cachectic or non-cachectic according to the criteria for cancer cachexia agreed upon international consensus (main criterium: weight loss adjusted to body mass index). Samples were pooled by cachexia phenotype and assayed using non-targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Normalized metabolite levels were compared using t-test (p < 0.05, adjusted for false discovery rate) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Machine-learning models were applied to identify metabolite signatures for separating cachexia states. Significant metabolites underwent MetaboAnalyst 5.0 pathway analysis. Results Comparative analyses included 78 cachectic and 42 non-cachectic patients. Cachectic patients exhibited 19 annotable, significantly elevated (including glucose and fructose) or decreased (mostly amino acids) metabolites associating with aminoacyl-tRNA, glutathione and amino acid metabolism pathways. PLS-DA showed distinct clusters (accuracy: 85.6%), and machine-learning models identified metabolic signatures for separating cachectic states (accuracy: 83.2%; area under ROC: 88.0%). We newly identified altered blood levels of erythronic acid and glucuronic acid in human cancer cachexia, potentially linked to pentose-phosphate and detoxification pathways. Conclusion We found both known and yet unknown serum metabolite and metabolic pathway alterations in cachectic cancer patients that collectively support a whole-body metabolic state with impaired detoxification capability, altered glucose and fructose metabolism, and substrate supply for increased and/or distinct metabolic needs of cachexia-associated tumors. These findings together imply vulnerabilities, dependencies and targets for novel interventions that have potential to make a significant impact on future research in an important field of cancer patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tushar H. More
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Karsten Hiller
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Martin Seifert
- Asklepios Precision Medicine, Asklepios Hospitals GmbH & Co KgaA, Königstein (Taunus), Germany
- Connexome GmbH, Fischen, Germany
| | - Thomas Illig
- Department of Human Genetics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Hannover Unified Biobank (HUB), Hannover, Germany
| | - Rudi Schmidt
- Asklepios Precision Medicine, Asklepios Hospitals GmbH & Co KgaA, Königstein (Taunus), Germany
- Immunetrue, Cologne, Germany
| | - Raphael Gronauer
- Asklepios Precision Medicine, Asklepios Hospitals GmbH & Co KgaA, Königstein (Taunus), Germany
- Connexome GmbH, Fischen, Germany
| | - Thomas von Hahn
- Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Hamburg, Germany
- Asklepios Tumorzentrum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hauke Weilert
- Asklepios Tumorzentrum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Budapest, Hungary
- Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Axel Stang
- Asklepios Tumorzentrum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Semmelweis University, Asklepios Campus Hamburg, Budapest, Hungary
- Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Care Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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Ren P, Yue H, Tang Q, Wang Y, Xue C. Astaxanthin slows down skeletal muscle atrophy in H22 tumor-bearing mice during sorafenib treatment by modulating the gut microbiota. Food Funct 2024; 15:543-558. [PMID: 38116809 DOI: 10.1039/d3fo04633h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Astaxanthin is a carotenoid that is taken orally and has antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties. Our previous research demonstrated that astaxanthin alleviated skeletal muscle atrophy during sorafenib treatment in H22 tumor-bearing mice and altered the intestinal flora composition. However, the relationship between astaxanthin's amelioration of skeletal muscle atrophy in tumor-bearing mice and its ability to regulate intestinal flora is not clear. We used broad-spectrum antibiotics to create pseudo-sterile tumor-bearing mice, which we then used in fecal bacteria transplantation experiments. Our results indicate that the role of astaxanthin in ameliorating skeletal muscle atrophy during molecularly targeted therapy in mice with tumors is dependent on the intestinal flora. Astaxanthin substantially promoted the proliferation of Blautia, Parabacteroides, and Roseburia, altered the levels of metabolites in mouse serum, and primarily affected the amino acid metabolism of mice. Astaxanthin ameliorated skeletal muscle atrophy by promoting the activation of AKT/FOXO3a, which inhibited the expression of ubiquitination-degrading Fbx32 and MuRF1 and promoted myogenesis in skeletal muscle. Our study confirms that the intestinal flora is an important target for astaxanthin to combat skeletal muscle atrophy. Our research supports the use of astaxanthin as a nutritional supplement and intestinal microecological regulator for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of, China, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China.
| | - Han Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of, China, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China.
| | - Qingjuan Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of, China, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China.
| | - Yuming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of, China, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China.
| | - Changhu Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of, China, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China.
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