Plasma Lipid Profile and Systemic Inflammation in Patients With Cancer Cachexia

Abstract

Cancer cachexia affects about 80% of advanced cancer patients, it is linked to poor prognosis and to date, there is no efficient treatment or cure. The syndrome leads to progressive involuntary loss of muscle and fat mass induced by systemic inflammatory processes. The role of the white adipose tissue (WAT) in the onset and manifestation of cancer cachexia gained importance during the last decade. WAT wasting is not only characterized by increased lipolysis and release of free fatty acids (FFA), but in addition, owing to its high capacity to produce a variety of inflammatory factors. The aim of this study was to characterize plasma lipid profile of cachectic patients and to correlate the FA composition with circulating inflammatory markers; finally, we sought to establish whether the fatty acids released by adipocytes trigger and/or contribute to local and systemic inflammation in cachexia. The study selected 65 patients further divided into 3 groups: control (N); weight stable cancer (WSC); and cachectic cancer (CC). The plasma FA profile was significantly different among the groups and was positively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in the CC patients. Therefore, we propose that saturated to unsaturated FFA ratio may serve as a means of detecting cachexia.

Keywords: cancer cachexia; cytokines; free-fatty acids; inflammation; lipid profile.

Figure 1

Plasma fatty acid profile in percentage. Data are expressed as median [1st quartile; 3rd quartile]. N, control; WSC, weight stable cancer; CC, cachectic cancer.

Figure 2

Plasma relative percentage of Saturated, Mono and Polyunsaturated free-fatty acids. Data are expressed as median [1st quartile; 3rd quartile]. SFA, saturated fatty acids (groupings of fatty acids 14:0, 16:0, 17:0, and 18:0); MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids (groupings of fatty acids 16:1, 18: 1C9); PUFA: polyunsaturated fatty acids (groupings of fatty acids 18:2n6, 18:3n3, 20:n6, 20:4n6, and 22:5n3); n-3, omega-3 PUFA (groupings of fatty acids 18:3n3 and 22:5n3); n-6, omega-6 PUFA (groups of fatty acids 18:2n6, 20:n6 and 20:4n6).