Wang J, Luo LZ, Liang DM, Guo C, Huang ZH, Jian XH, Wen J. Recent progress in understanding mitokines as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Clin Cases 2023; 11(23): 5416-5429 [PMID: 37637689 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i23.5416]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jie Wen, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, No. 61 West Jiefang Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China. cashwj@qq.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jiang Wang, Lan-Zhu Luo, Zhi-Hong Huang, Children Medical Center, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
Dao-Miao Liang, Chao Guo, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
Xiao-Hong Jian, Department of Anatomy, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
Jie Wen, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Wang J and Luo LZ contribute equally to this study, they share co-first author; Wang J wrote the paper; Luo LZ and Liang DM did the literature review; Guo C and Huang ZH did the data analysis; Jian XH conceived and coordinated the study; Wen J revised the paper; Jian XH and Wen J contribute equally to this study, they share co-correspondent author; all authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported byScientific Research Project of Hunan Education Department, No. 21A0054.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jie Wen, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, No. 61 West Jiefang Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China. cashwj@qq.com
Received: May 18, 2023 Peer-review started: May 18, 2023 First decision: July 3, 2023 Revised: July 14, 2023 Accepted: August 3, 2023 Article in press: August 3, 2023 Published online: August 16, 2023
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent tumors worldwide and the leading contributor to cancer-related deaths. The progression and metastasis of HCC are closely associated with altered mitochondrial metabolism, including mitochondrial stress response. Mitokines, soluble proteins produced and secreted in response to mitochondrial stress, play an essential immunomodulatory role. Immunotherapy has emerged as a crucial treatment option for HCC. However, a positive response to therapy is typically dependent on the interaction of tumor cells with immune regulation within the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, exploring the specific immunomodulatory mechanisms of mitokines in HCC is essential for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the association between HCC and the immune microenvironment and highlights recent progress in understanding the involvement of mitochondrial function in preserving liver function. In addition, a systematic review of mitokines-mediated immunomodulation in HCC is presented. Finally, the potential diagnostic and therapeutic roles of mitokines in HCC are prospected and summarized. Recent progress in mitokine research represents a new prospect for mitochondrial therapy. Considering the potential of mitokines to regulate immune function, investigating them as a relevant molecular target holds great promise for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.
Core Tip: The progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are intricately associated with alterations in mitochondrial metabolism. Mitokines, as critical cellular factors during mitochondrial stress, play an indispensable role in maintaining dynamic equilibrium within cells, intercellularly, and intertissue during mitochondrial stress. Through quantifying mitokine levels, we can assess the severity of HCC and predict the efficacy of treatment in HCC patients. The pursuit of highly specific and sensitive drugs targeting mitokines for HCC treatment represents a promising avenue for future research endeavors.
