Mitochondrial Metabolism in Cancer Cachexia: Novel Drug Target

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 1141-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhwani T. Dave ◽  
Bhoomika M. Patel

Background: Cancer cachexia is a metabolic syndrome prevalent in the majority of the advanced cancers and is associated with complications such as anorexia, early satiety, weakness, anaemia, and edema, thereby reducing performance and impairing quality of life. Skeletal muscle wasting is a characteristic feature of cancer-cachexia and mitochondria is responsible for regulating total protein turnover in skeletal muscle tissue. Methods: We carried out exhaustive search for cancer cachexia and role of mitochondria in the same in various databases. All the relevant articles were gathered and the pertinent information was extracted out and compiled which was further structured into different sub-sections. Results: Various findings on the mitochondrial alterations in connection to its disturbed normal physiology in various models of cancer-cachexia have been recently reported, suggesting a significant role of the organelle in the pathogenesis of the complications involved in the disorder. It has also been reported that reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity is due to reduced mitochondrial biogenesis as well as altered balance between fusion and fission protein activities. Moreover, autophagy in mitochondria (termed as mitophagy) is reported to play an important role in cancer cachexia. Conclusions: The present review aims to put forth the changes occurring in mitochondria and hence explore possible targets which can be exploited in cancer-induced cachexia for treatment of such a debilitating condition.

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3150
Author(s):  
Marc Beltrà ◽  
Fabrizio Pin ◽  
Riccardo Ballarò ◽  
Paola Costelli ◽  
Fabio Penna

Cancer cachexia is a frequently neglected debilitating syndrome that, beyond representing a primary cause of death and cancer therapy failure, negatively impacts on patients’ quality of life. Given the complexity of its multisystemic pathogenesis, affecting several organs beyond the skeletal muscle, defining an effective therapeutic approach has failed so far. Revamped attention of the scientific community working on cancer cachexia has focused on mitochondrial alterations occurring in the skeletal muscle as potential triggers of the complex metabolic derangements, eventually leading to hypercatabolism and tissue wasting. Mitochondrial dysfunction may be simplistically viewed as a cause of energy failure, thus inducing protein catabolism as a compensatory mechanism; however, other peculiar cachexia features may depend on mitochondria. On the one side, chemotherapy also impacts on muscle mitochondrial function while, on the other side, muscle-impaired regeneration may result from insufficient energy production from damaged mitochondria. Boosting mitochondrial function could thus improve the energetic status and chemotherapy tolerance, and relieve the myogenic process in cancer cachexia. In the present work, a focused review of the available literature on mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer cachexia is presented along with preliminary data dissecting the potential role of stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis via PGC-1α overexpression in distinct aspects of cancer-induced muscle wasting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gioacchino P. Marceca ◽  
Giovanni Nigita ◽  
Federica Calore ◽  
Carlo M. Croce

Cancer-associated cachexia is a heterogeneous, multifactorial syndrome characterized by systemic inflammation, unintentional weight loss, and profound alteration in body composition. The main feature of cancer cachexia is represented by the loss of skeletal muscle tissue, which may or may not be accompanied by significant adipose tissue wasting. Such phenotypic alteration occurs as the result of concomitant increased myofibril breakdown and reduced muscle protein synthesis, actively contributing to fatigue, worsening of quality of life, and refractoriness to chemotherapy. According to the classical view, this condition is primarily triggered by interactions between specific tumor-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and their cognate receptors expressed on the myocyte membrane. This causes a shift in gene expression of muscle cells, eventually leading to a pronounced catabolic condition and cell death. More recent studies, however, have shown the involvement of regulatory non-coding RNAs in the outbreak of cancer cachexia. In particular, the role exerted by microRNAs is being widely addressed, and several mechanistic studies are in progress. In this review, we discuss the most recent findings concerning the role of microRNAs in triggering or exacerbating muscle wasting in cancer cachexia, while mentioning about possible roles played by long non-coding RNAs and ADAR-mediated miRNA modifications.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill K. Onesti ◽  
Denis C. Guttridge

Cancer cachexia, consisting of significant skeletal muscle wasting independent of nutritional intake, is a major concern for patients with solid tumors that affects surgical, therapeutic, and quality of life outcomes. This review summarizes the clinical implications, background of inflammatory cytokines, and the origin and sources of procachectic factors including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1, INF-γ, and PIF. Molecular mechanisms and pathways are described to elucidate the link between the immune response caused by the presence of the tumor and the final result of skeletal muscle wasting.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangeline Wang Cornwell ◽  
Robert W Jackman ◽  
Azadeh Mirbod ◽  
Susan C Kandarian

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. R2059-R2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Mason ◽  
Helene Rundqvist ◽  
Ioanna Papandreou ◽  
Roger Duh ◽  
Wayne J. McNulty ◽  
...  

During endurance training, exercising skeletal muscle experiences severe and repetitive oxygen stress. The primary transcriptional response factor for acclimation to hypoxic stress is hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), which upregulates glycolysis and angiogenesis in response to low levels of tissue oxygenation. To examine the role of HIF-1α in endurance training, we have created mice specifically lacking skeletal muscle HIF-1α and subjected them to an endurance training protocol. We found that only wild-type mice improve their oxidative capacity, as measured by the respiratory exchange ratio; surprisingly, we found that HIF-1α null mice have already upregulated this parameter without training. Furthermore, untrained HIF-1α null mice have an increased capillary to fiber ratio and elevated oxidative enzyme activities. These changes correlate with constitutively activated AMP-activated protein kinase in the HIF-1α null muscles. Additionally, HIF-1α null muscles have decreased expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase I, a HIF-1α target that inhibits oxidative metabolism. These data demonstrate that removal of HIF-1α causes an adaptive response in skeletal muscle akin to endurance training and provides evidence for the suppression of mitochondrial biogenesis by HIF-1α in normal tissue.


2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (3) ◽  
pp. C536-C541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P. Ashcroft ◽  
Joseph J. Bass ◽  
Abid A. Kazi ◽  
Philip J. Atherton ◽  
Andrew Philp

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a reduction in skeletal muscle function and oxidative capacity; however, the mechanistic bases of these impairments are poorly understood. The biological actions of vitamin D are carried out via the binding of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3) to the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Recent evidence has linked 1α,25(OH)2D3 to the regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in vitro; however, little is known with regard to the role of the VDR in this process. To examine the regulatory role of the VDR in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function, we used lentivirus-mediated shRNA silencing of the VDR in C2C12 myoblasts (VDR-KD) and examined mitochondrial respiration and protein content compared with an shRNA scrambled control. VDR protein content was reduced by ~95% in myoblasts and myotubes ( P < 0.001). VDR-KD myoblasts displayed a 30%, 30%, and 36% reduction in basal, coupled, and maximal respiration, respectively ( P < 0.05). This phenotype was maintained in VDR-KD myotubes, displaying a 34%, 33%, and 48% reduction in basal, coupled, and maximal respiration ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, ATP production derived from oxidative phosphorylation (ATPOx) was reduced by 20%, suggesting intrinsic impairments within the mitochondria following VDR-KD. However, despite the observed functional decrements, mitochondrial protein content, as well as markers of mitochondrial fission were unchanged. In summary, we highlight a direct role for the VDR in regulating skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in vitro, providing a potential mechanism as to how vitamin D deficiency might impact upon skeletal muscle oxidative capacity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (2) ◽  
pp. R296-R310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène N. Daou

Cancer cachexia is a complicated disorder of extreme, progressive skeletal muscle wasting. It is directed by metabolic alterations and systemic inflammation dysregulation. Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased systemic inflammation promotes this type of cachexia and have suggested that cytokines are implicated in the skeletal muscle loss. Exercise is firmly established as an anti-inflammatory therapy that can attenuate or even reverse the process of muscle wasting in cancer cachexia. The interleukin IL-6 is generally considered to be a key player in the development of the microenvironment of malignancy; it promotes tumor growth and metastasis by acting as a bridge between chronic inflammation and cancerous tissue and it also induces skeletal muscle atrophy and protein breakdown. Paradoxically, a beneficial role for IL-6 has also been identified recently, and that is its status as a “founding member” of the myokine class of proteins. Skeletal muscle is an important source of circulating IL-6 in people who participate in exercise training. IL-6 acts as an anti-inflammatory myokine by inhibiting TNFα and improving glucose uptake through the stimulation of AMPK signaling. This review discusses the action of IL-6 in skeletal muscle tissue dysfunction and the role of IL-6 as an “exercise factor” that modulates the immune system. This review also sheds light on the main considerations related to the treatment of muscle wasting in cancer cachexia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Mannelli ◽  
Tania Gamberi ◽  
Francesca Magherini ◽  
Tania Fiaschi

Cachexia is a devastating pathology induced by several kinds of diseases, including cancer. The hallmark of cancer cachexia is an extended weight loss mainly due to skeletal muscle wasting and fat storage depletion from adipose tissue. The latter exerts key functions for the health of the whole organism, also through the secretion of several adipokines. These hormones induce a plethora of effects in target tissues, ranging from metabolic to differentiating ones. Conversely, the decrease of the circulating level of several adipokines positively correlates with insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. A lot of findings suggest that cancer cachexia is associated with changed secretion of adipokines by adipose tissue. In agreement, cachectic patients show often altered circulating levels of adipokines. This review reported the findings of adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, apelin, and visfatin) in cancer cachexia, highlighting that to study in-depth the involvement of these hormones in this pathology could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document