Recent discoveries in the modulation of essential lipid enzymes, signaling lipid molecules and global lipid metabolism alteration in aggressive progression of cancer have fundamentally expanded our perception of lipid metabolism and its impact on tumor etiology. Several studies have shown that the interruption of lipid metabolism is related to the onset and severe progression of some types of human cancers. Among the lipids, the categories that have the most important roles in the membrane structure are glycerophospholipids (GPL), sphingolipids, sterols and triglycerides. Lipids, especially phospholipids (PL), are extremely diverse molecules and act as regulators of various cellular functions such as homeostasis, cell adhesion and migration, neurotransmission, signal transduction, vesicular trafficking, apoptosis and post-translational modification. Here, we review the molecular characteristics of plasmalogens in order to significantly increase our understanding of the plasmalogen molecule and its involvement in gastrointestinal cancers as well as other types of cancers. Studies suggest that changes in plasmalogen metabolism may contribute to the development of various types of cancer. Although the clinical significance of plasmalogens is linked to peroxisomal disorders, the pathophysiological roles and their possible metabolic pathways are not fully understood since they present unique structural attributes for the different tissue types. In addition to their structural roles, a subset of ether lipids are thought to function as endogenous antioxidants and emerging studies suggest that they are involved in cell differentiation and signaling pathways. Plasmalogens are important for the organization and stability of lipid raft microdomains and cholesterol-rich membrane regions involved in cellular signaling. They constitute 10 mol% of the total mass of phospholipids in humans, mainly as membrane structure components. The plasmalogens are a class of glycerophospholipids which contain a vinyl-ether and an ester bond at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions, respectively, in the glycerol backbone.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |