Effect of lipo-quality of adipocytes on tumor growth and invasion

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K19724
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 59:Sports sciences, physical education, health sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Owada Yuji 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 教授 (20292211)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 宮崎 啓史 東北大学, 医学系研究科, 講師 (90803867)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-06-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 必須脂肪酸 / メラノーマ / 膵癌 / 転移 / 細胞死

Outline of Final Research Achievements

There is an urgent need to elucidate the mechanisms by which excessive lipid intake, a factor in metabolic syndrome and other lifestyle-related diseases, acts on various diseases, including cancer. In this study, we examined the effects of changes in lipid composition and lipid metabolism in the cancer microenvironment, which are altered by dietary intake, on the biological activity of cancer. The results indicated that linoleic acid and linolenic acid, essential fatty acids, play an important role in cell death of pancreatic cancer cells, and that oleic acid and fatty acid binding protein (FABP7), an intracellular carrier of oleic acid, may be involved in the distant metastatic potential of skin cancer.

Free Research Field

栄養科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

栄養のアンバランス、とりわけ偏った脂質摂取は、発癌リスクや癌の予後と密接に関連していることが指摘されている。まさに脂肪組織の量と質の変化が特徴とされる肥満や、るい痩（やせ）が、癌リスクと深く関連するのは周知の事実であるが、そのメカニズムに関する基礎的知見は未だ乏しい。本研究成果により、脂質嗜好性や食物の脂質成分により癌の増殖や浸潤が変化することが強く示唆された。今後、栄養と癌の相互関係がさらに明らかになることで、新たな治療法確立に向けて道を拓く可能性を秘めている。