Regulation of Age-Related Lipid Metabolism in Ovarian Cancer

Although a lot of effort has been dedicated to ovarian cancer (OC) research, the mortality rate is still among the highest in female gynecologic malignancies. The effects of the aged tumor microenvironment are still being undermined despite age being the highest risk factor in ovarian cancer development and progression. In this study, we have conducted RNA sequencing and lipidomics analysis of gonadal adipose tissues from young and aged rat xenografts before and after ovarian cancer formation. We have found significantly higher tumor formation rates and volumes in aged OC xenograft rat models compared to their young counterparts (p<0.05), suggesting the aged adipose microenvironment (AME) is more susceptible to OC outgrowth. We have revealed significant shifts in the gene expression enrichment from groups of young vs. aged rats before tumor formation, groups of young vs. aged rats when the tumor formed, and groups of aged rats before and after tumor formation. We also observed shifts in the lipid components of the gonadal adipose tissues between young and aged rat xenografts when tumors were generated. Additionally, we found that the aged AME was associated with age-related changes in the immune cell composition, especially inflammation-related cells. The top hits showing the most differences between aged and young adipose tissues were eight genes including S100a8, S100a9, Il1rl1, Lcn2, C3, Hba-a1, Fcna, and Pnpla3, 22 lipids including multiple isoforms of free fatty acids (FFA) and triglyceride (TG), as well as four immune cells including neutrophil, myeloid dendritic cell, T cell CD4+ (non-regulatory), and mast cell activation. The functional correlation among S100a8, S100a9, neutrophil, and FFA (18:3) was also determined. Furthermore, FFA (18:3), which was shown to be downregulated in aged xenograft rats, was capable of inhibiting OC cell proliferation. In conclusion, our study suggested that aging promoted OC proliferation through changes in genes/pathways, lipid metabolism, and immune cells. Targeting the aging adipose microenvironment, particularly lipid metabolism reprogramming, holds promise as a therapeutic strategy for OC, which warrants further investigation.

Aging microenvironment of OC may be regulated by S100a8 and S100a9 secreted by adipocytes, preadipocytes, or neutrophils through affecting the lipid metabolism, such as FFA (18:3).