Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent type of primary
liver cancer. Low numbers of HCC patients being suitable for liver resection or
transplantation and multidrug resistance development during
pharmacotherapy leads to high death rates for HCC patients. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of HCC etiology may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for prevention and treatment of HCC.
UDP-glucose ceramide glycosyltransferase (UGCG), a key
enzyme in
glycosphingolipid metabolism, generates
glucosylceramide (GlcCer), which is the precursor for all
glycosphingolipids (GSLs). Since UGCG gene expression is altered in 0.8% of HCC
tumors, GSLs may play a role in cellular processes in
liver cancer cells. Here, we discuss the current literature about GSLs and their abundance in normal liver cells,
Gaucher disease and HCC. Furthermore, we review the involvement of UGCG/GlcCer in multidrug resistance development,
globosides as a potential prognostic marker for HCC,
gangliosides as a potential
liver cancer stem cell marker, and the role of
sulfatides in
tumor metastasis. Only a limited number of molecular mechanisms executed by GSLs in HCC are known, which we summarize here briefly. Overall, the role GSLs play in HCC progression and their ability to serve as
biomarkers or prognostic indicators for HCC, requires further investigation.