About the Special Issue

While carcinogenesis is generally considered to be associated with oxidative stress, various anti-cancer therapies, such as radiotherapy and several cytostatic drugs, are also associated with excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). That is especially in the case of tumors with sufficient oxygenation, but that is also valid for hypoxic tissues, especially if exposed to hypoxia reoxygenation, which itself is considered as oxidative stress injury. Thus induced lipid peroxidation (LPO) might be crucial process of oxidative stress, in particular in case of free radical attack on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), when LPO behaves as non-enzymatic chain reaction. Such LPO may generate reactive aldehydes, which are not reactive oxygen species (ROS), but may act as “second messengers of ROS”.

Due to its bioactivities and biomedical relevance, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) is considered to be the major bioactive LPO product, which usually binds to proteins, changing their structure and function. Consequently 4-HNE can regulate, in a concentration and cell-type dependent manner, cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, acting as important signaling molecule with differential effects on normal and on malignant cells. Eventually, HNE can restart LPO even in the absence of oxidative stress and can work as cytotoxic factor of LPO causing cancer necrosis, notably ferroptosis.

Complexity of the LPO and cancer relationship is further stressed by the fact that various endogenous and exogenous pro- and anti-oxidants may modulate it, as do changes of the lipid metabolism and immune/inflammatory processes.

This Special Issue dedicated to the LPO and cancer aims to explore this important and complex topic collecting original research and review papers exploring both positive as well as negative aspects of lipid peroxidation in carcinogenesis, cancer therapy and biology of cancer in general.

Keywords: Lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress, carcinogenesis, cancer therapy, lipid metabolism, cell signaling, 4-hydroxynonenal, growth control

Call for Papers