Hyperspectral Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy Unravels Aberrant Accumulation of Saturated Fat in Human Liver Cancer

Anal Chem. 2018 Jun 5;90(11):6362-6366. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b01312. Epub 2018 May 18.

Abstract

Lipid metabolism is dysregulated in human cancers. The analytical tools that could identify and quantitatively map metabolites in unprocessed human tissues with submicrometer resolution are highly desired. Here, we implemented analytical hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering microscopy to map the lipid metabolites in situ in normal and cancerous liver tissues from 24 patients. In contrast to the conventional wisdom that unsaturated lipid accumulation enhances tumor cell survival and proliferation, we unexpectedly visualized substantial amount of saturated fat accumulated in cancerous liver tissues, which was not seen in majority of their adjacent normal tissues. Further analysis by mass spectrometry confirmed significant high levels of glyceryl tripalmitate specifically in cancerous liver. These findings suggest that the aberrantly accumulated saturated fat may have great potential to be a metabolic biomarker for liver cancer.

Publication types

  • Letter
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Fats / analysis*
  • Fats / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Lipid Metabolism
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology*
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Nonlinear Optical Microscopy / methods*
  • Triglycerides / analysis
  • Triglycerides / metabolism

Substances

  • Fats
  • Triglycerides
  • tripalmitin