[Lysophosphatidic acid and malignant neoplasms]

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a lipid compound which plays an important role in the human body, enabling its proper development and functioning. The extracellular LPA is mainly formed of lysophospholipids by the action of autotaxin. LPA activates specific G protein coupled receptors on the cell surface, which results in activation of intracellular signaling pathways, resulting in an increased production of proteins such as VEGF, MMP and uPA. The effect is increased cell proliferation, migration, survival and morphological changes. Aberrant expression of LPA receptors or autotaxin is present in various neoplasms. LPA may be used as a potential diagnostic marker, because its concentrations in the plasma of ovarian cancer patients are significantly higher than in the control group. Scientific research is focused on the searching for the compounds that inhibit the effects of LPA. The promising results of preclinical trials suggest potential usefulness of these compounds in the fight against cancer.