- Metabolic rewiring, particularly fatty acid oxidation (FAO), fuels tumorigenicity of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) and contributes to therapy resistance and recurrence.
- Transcriptomic profiling of GSCs from recurrent and newly diagnosed patients revealed an FAO-enriched signature compared to non-malignant astrocytes.
- In vivo studies showed that tumor formation by GSCs can be modulated by altering brain lipid availability, with a low carbohydrate high fat diet (LCHFD) showing beneficial effects.
- Metabolomic and lipidomic analyses confirmed lipid metabolism's role in GSC-mediated tumor formation, while gut microbiome analysis linked LCHFD to microbiome changes and circadian network modulation.
- Targeting FAO via LCHFD in the postoperative period before chemoradiation offers a non-pharmacologic strategy to delay glioblastoma recurrence.