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Review
. 2019 Feb 1;9(2):219-227.
eCollection 2019.

The role of cholesterol metabolism in cancer

Xiao Ding  1 , Weihua Zhang  2 , Song Li  1 , Hui Yang  1
Affiliations
Review

The role of cholesterol metabolism in cancer

Xiao Ding et al. Am J Cancer Res. .

Abstract

Cholesterol plays an important role in cancer development. Both clinical and experimental studies have found that hypercholesterolemia and a high-fat high-cholesterol diet can affect cancer development. External cholesterol can directly activate the oncogenic Hedgehog pathway, and internal cholesterol can induce mTORC1 signaling. Cholesterol is a key component of lipid rafts, which are the major platforms for signaling regulation in cancer, and chelating membrane cholesterol is an effective anti-cancer strategy that disrupts the functions of lipid rafts. Cholesterol metabolism is often reprogrammed in cancer cells. Targeting cholesterol metabolism as a new therapeutic approach has received increasing attention. Here, we summarize some key molecular mechanisms supporting the use of anti-cholesterol therapy for cancer treatment.

Keywords: Cancer; cholesterol; metabolism; oncogenic signaling.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The functions of cholesterol and lipid rafts in oncogenic signaling pathways.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The regulatory mechanism of cholesterol metabolism and related molecules in cancer cell.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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