How can fatty liver disease progress in cancer?
Fatty liver disease, the excessive lipid accumulation in the liver, is a frequent metabolic condition that can progress in cancer. Despite years of research, targeted treatments are still lacking and very little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for these pathologies.
Two signaling pathways described as pro-cancer…
Since several years, researchers in the laboratory of Obesity, liver metabolic disorders & cancer are studying the molecular processes involved in the progression of fatty liver disease. Under the guidance of the late Prof. Michelangelo Foti, they developed unique mouse models to decipher the distinct contribution of two signaling pathways described as pro-cancer, the insulin receptor and IGF1 receptor pathways. Specifically, the researchers depleted one or both pathways in mice that spontaneously develop fatty liver disease and cancer.
… govern distinct metabolic processes
The research team discovered that the insulin receptor and IGF1 receptor pathways play very different roles in the progression of the disease. In their , they describe that the insulin receptor pathway favors lipid accumulation in the liver, but that, surprisingly, the IGF1 receptor pathway does not affect lipid metabolism. Strong differences were also observed in their role in cancer progression: the first pathway promotes cancer development, but the second does not.
These findings highlight the complexity of the mechanisms underlying metabolic diseases associated with liver fat accumulation. They also emphasize the need for comprehensive in vivo research. Such research could uncover new therapeutic targets and strategies to prevent or better manage these conditions.