It is common to hear in the media the dangers of high cholesterol and how it can lead to heart disease and certain cancers. Cholesterol plays a huge role in the body as it is found in all the membranes of our cells and helps maintain their structural integrity. Due to its wide abundance in the body, researchers are working to better understand how cholesterol can lead to disease formation. A recent study from the Duke Cancer Institute has discovered the role that cholesterol plays in breast cancer metastasis.
In cancer, metastasis refers to the process of cancer cells leaving the original tumor they developed from and moving to a new location in the body. This process is extremely taxing on the cancer cells and often results in cell death, which is why not all tumors will metastasize. To study how cholesterol is involved in estrogen-negative breast cancer cell metastasis, the researchers used both cultured human cancer cells and mouse models to conduct their experiments. The cultured cancer cells and mice were treated with cholesterol for up to four months and then subsequently analyzed, checking factors such as tumor volume and cell growth.
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The researchers found that prolonged exposure to cholesterol produced a population of cancer cells that were more prone to metastasize. They found that during the migration process, cancer cells would take up the cholesterol, which protected them from the additional stresses associated with cell migration. When cells are exposed to lots of stress, a process called ferroptosis is commonly induced. Cholesterol accumulation was found to inhibit the activation of ferroptosis, enabling the cells to survive and metastasize.
These findings are promising as there are numerous clinical implications that can be further explored. Working to limit cholesterol intake can be a useful therapeutic that can potentially limit this metastatic effect and promote naturally induced cell death. By limiting the ability of cancer cells to migrate, this can improve the number of treatment methods that can be used by doctors and increase the chances of the cancer being eradicated.
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