Metabolomics and triple-negative breast cancer: A systematic review.

Triple-negative breast cancer stands out as the most aggressive subtype of breast malignancy and is characterized by an unfavourable prognosis. Objective: This systematic review summarizes the insights gleaned from metabolomic analyses of individuals afflicted with this cancer variant. The overarching goal was to delineate the molecular alterations associated with triple-negative breast cancer, pinpointing potential therapeutic targets and novel biomarkers. Methods: We systematically searched for evidence using the PubMed database and followed the PRISMA and STARLITE guidelines. The search parameters were delimited to articles published within the last 13 years. Results: From an initial pool of 148 scrutinized articles, 17 studies involving 1686 participants were deemed eligible for inclusion. The current body of research shows a paucity of studies, and the available evidence presents conflicting outcomes. Notwithstanding, Pathway Enrichment Analysis identified the urea and glucose-alanine cycles as the most affected metabolic pathways, followed by arginine, proline, and aspartate metabolism. Conclusion: Future investigations need to focus on elucidating which of those metabolites and/or pathways might be reliable candidates for novel therapeutic interventions or reliable biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of this subtype of breast cancer.

Metabolic adaptations in severe obesity: Insights from circulating oxylipins before and after weight loss.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between lipid mediators and severe obesity remains unclear. Our study investigates the impact of severe obesity on plasma concentrations of oxylipins and fatty acids and explores the consequences of weight loss. METHODS: In the clinical trial identifier NCT05554224 study, 116 patients with severe obesity and 63 overweight/obese healthy controls matched for age and sex (≈2:1) provided plasma. To assess the effect of surgically induced weight loss, we requested paired plasma samples from 44 patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy one year after the procedure. Oxylipins were measured using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer via semi-targeted lipidomics. Cytokines and markers of interorgan crosstalk were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: We observed significantly elevated levels of circulating fatty acids and oxylipins in patients with severe obesity compared to their metabolically healthier overweight/obese counterparts. Our findings indicated that sex and liver disease were not confounding factors, but we observed weak correlations in plasma with circulating adipokines, suggesting the influence of adipose tissue. Importantly, while weight loss restored the balance in circulating fatty acids, it did not fully normalize the oxylipin profile. Before surgery, oxylipins derived from lipoxygenase activity, such as 12-HETE, 11-HDoHE, 14-HDoHE, and 12-HEPE, were predominant. However, one year following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, we observed a complex shift in the oxylipin profile, favoring species from the cyclooxygenase pathway, particularly proinflammatory prostanoids like TXB2, PGE2, PGD2, and 12-HHTrE. This transformation appears to be linked to a reduction in adiposity, underscoring the role of lipid turnover in the development of metabolic disorders associated with severe obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the reduction in fatty acid levels associated with weight loss, the oxylipin profile shifts towards a predominance of more proinflammatory species. These observations underscore the significance of seeking mechanistic approaches to address severe obesity and emphasize the importance of closely monitoring the metabolic adaptations after weight loss.

Serum Arylesterase, Paraoxonase, and Lactonase Activities and Paraoxonase-1 Concentrations in Morbidly Obese Patients and Their Relationship with Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an antioxidant enzyme associated with high-density lipoproteins (HDL). Reduced serum PON1 activity is found in diseases marked by oxidative stress and inflammation, but its role in obesity remains unclear. This study investigated PON1 activities and concentrations in morbidly obese individuals and explored the impacts of the genetic polymorphism PON1 rs662 and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease on enzymatic properties. We recruited 1349 morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and 823 non-obese volunteers. PON1-related variables, including arylesterase, paraoxonase, and lactonase activities and PON1 concentrations, were examined. Our results showed that morbidly obese individuals exhibited higher PON1 concentrations but lower enzymatic activities than non-obese individuals. We observed inverse associations of arylesterase and paraoxonase activities with waist circumference (rho = -0.24, p < 0.001, and rho = -0.30, p < 0.001, respectively) and body mass index (rho = -0.15, p = 0.001, and rho = -0.23, p < 0.001), as well as direct associations of arylesterase, paraoxonase, and lactonase activities with HDL cholesterol (rho = 0.11, p = 0.005, rho = 0.20, p < 0.001, and rho = 0.20, p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed regarding metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, rs662 polymorphism allele frequencies, or the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Nevertheless, correlations were found between certain PON1-related variables, steatosis, and ballooning. In conclusion, changes in PON1-related variables in morbidly obese patients are dependent on the disease itself and HDL levels. The relationships between these variables and specific liver histological changes raise intriguing questions for consideration in future studies.