Oxidative Stress and Reprogramming of Lipid Metabolism in Cancers

Oxidative stress is a common event involved in cancer pathophysiology, frequently accompanied by unique lipid metabolic reprogramming phenomena. Oxidative stress is caused mainly by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant system in cancer cells. Emerging evidence has reported that oxidative stress regulates the expression and activity of lipid metabolism-related enzymes, leading to the alteration of cellular lipid metabolism; this involves a significant increase in fatty acid synthesis and a shift in the way in which lipids are taken up and utilized. The dysregulation of lipid metabolism provides abundant intermediates to synthesize biological macromolecules for the rapid proliferation of cancer cells; moreover, it contributes to the maintenance of intracellular redox homeostasis by producing a variety of reducing agents. Moreover, lipid derivatives and metabolites play critical roles in signal transduction within cancer cells and in the tumor microenvironment that evades immune destruction and facilitates tumor invasion and metastasis. These findings suggest a close relationship between oxidative stress and lipid metabolism during the malignant progression of cancers. This review focuses on the crosstalk between the redox system and lipid metabolic reprogramming, which provides an in-depth insight into the modulation of ROS on lipid metabolic reprogramming in cancers and discusses potential strategies for targeting lipid metabolism for cancer therapy.