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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1592837
This article is part of the Research Topic The Role of Metabolic Reprogramming in Tumor Therapy View all 10 articles
Metabolic Reprogramming in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Mechanisms of Immune Evasion and Therapeutic Implications
Provisionally accepted- 1 School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 2 School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with limited treatment options for advanced stages. Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, enabling tumor cells to adapt to the harsh tumor microenvironment (TME) and evade immune surveillance. This review involves the role of metabolic reprogramming in HCC, focusing on the dysregulation of glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, and its impact on immune evasion. Key metabolic pathways, such as the Warburg effect, fatty acid synthesis, and glutaminolysis, are discussed, along with their influence on tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and immune cell function. Targeting these metabolic alterations presents a promising therapeutic approach to enhance immunotherapy efficacy and improve HCC patient outcomes.
Keywords: Hepatocellular Carcinoma, metabolic reprogramming, Immune Evasion, Tumor Microenvironment, TME, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), Immunotherapy
Received: 13 Mar 2025; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Lu, Lai, Xu, Gou, Yang, Gong and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zhida Yang, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, Sichuan Province, China
Yanju Gong, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, Sichuan Province, China
Hong Yang, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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