Recent insights into the role of phospholipase A2 enzymes in modulating cancer growth and development

Phospholipase A2 enzymes (PLA2s) are a superfamily of enzymes that play an important role in regulating the production of fatty acids and lysophospholipids from phospholipid pools of the membranes. These products are metabolized by other biochemical pathways resulting in the production of lipid mediators like eicosanoids and platelet-activating factor. These mediators play a crucial role in the regulation of processes that are key in cancer development such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, vascularization, motility, etc. Thus, the role of PLA2s in the initiation and progression of cancer has generated immense interest with several promising results. Although dysregulated expression of multiple human secretory PLA2s (sPLA2s) has been found to be associated with several cancers, the function of sPLA2s is debatable since, depending on the isoform and tissue/cancer types, it can act as either a positive or negative regulator of carcinogenesis. Moreover, PLA2 is one of the key players in the creation of an inflammatory milieu and, as a result, plays a critical role in carcinogenesis and tumor growth. The contents of this chapter provide insights into the roles of PLA2s in cancer and help identify new leads for the development of new agents and strategies for tumor prevention and treatment.