Editorial on the Research TopicLipids, lipid oxidation, and cancer: from biology to therapeutics From fatty acids, the most fundamental biological lipid, glycerolipids, phospholipids, and sphingolipids, to lipoproteins and steroid molecules such as cholesterol, oxysterols, vitamin D, lipids all have distinct and multiple biological activities and functions. Several lipid metabolic aspects such as biosynthesis, oxidation, uptake, enzymes, regulation, signaling pathways, have been shown to be implicated in several diseases, including cancer.In fact, lipids are crucial in the pathophysiology of cancer development. Several types of cancers share common alterations in the complex cell lipid metabolism. These dysregulated changes can affect several physiological characteristics of cells such as membrane synthesis, energy homeostasis, post-translational protein modifications, and cell signaling, thus sustaining cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and survival (1-6), the most prominent features of cancer cells, as is evident by the articles in this topic.The work of Duong et al. provides a review of the state of the art in lipid metabolism in tumor immunology. Lipids are an important source of energy for rapidly proliferating cells. Lipids also affect the immune system and its components in a variety of ways. Accumulation of lipids in the tumor microenvironment has been shown to promote immune evasion and inflammation In fact, abnormal lipid accumulation in tumors correlates with T-cell dysfunction, T-cell exhaustion, increased proportions of regulatory T cells and memory T cells, and increased T-cell recall responses.The authors addressed the importance of lipid metabolism by describing the action of lipids and lipid oxidation in 1. Immune cells (T cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells); 2. The proliferation and survival of cancer cells; 3. Cancer progression and angiogenesis (overview of lipid metabolism, role of lipid metabolism in cancer); 4. Cancer metastasis; and 5. Cancer immunotherapy (lipids as adjuvants, lipids as vehicles, role of lipids in immune responsiveness.
