Esfingosina-1-fosfato y cánceres urológicos: identificando potenciales blancos terapéuticos en su etabolismo y señalización Sphingosine-1-phosphate and urological cancers: identifying potential therapeutic targets in its metabolism and signalling

Lipids are not only structural molecules of the membranes. There are numerous examples of lipids mediating physiologic actions within the cells. Specifically, sphingolipids like ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) have been described to be invol ved in the control of cell growth, proliferation and migration, all of which has been linked to cancer. The pro-apoptotic effects of ceramide and sphingosine are opposed by S1P. Therefore, the fate of the cell can be modulated by changing the ratio of these sphingolipids (the rheostat model). S1P promotes cell proliferation, growth, survival, migration, invasion and resistance to drugs and radiation, in part mediated by S1P membrane receptors (S1PR1-5). Overexpression of S1P producing enzymes and increased S1P levels has been described in many cancers, including urological cancers. Therefore, potential therapeutic targets can be recognized in the metabolism and signaling pathways of sphingolipids and their clinical relevance have to be determined in future studies.