PPARα modulates gene expression profiles of mitochondrial energy metabolism in oral tumorigenesis

Metabolic reprogramming plays a crucial role in the development of cancer. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of fenofibrate, an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR alpha), on gene expression profiles of mitochondrial energy metabolism. Our results showed that PPAR alpha expression was negatively correlated with tumor progression in an oral cancer mouse model. Activation of PPAR alpha through fenofibrate suppressed migration of oral cancer cells. Differential protein profiling demonstrated that expressions of genes related to mitochondrial energy metabolism were either up-regulated (Atp5g3, Cyc1, Ndufa5, Ndufa10, and Sdhd) or down-regulated (Cox5b, Ndufa1, Ndufb7, and Uqcrh) through PPAR alpha activation and response. Our results indicate that PPAR alpha exhibits a great potential for anti-oral cancer therapies by modulating cancer cell mitochondrial energy metabolism.