Therapeutic targeting of cancer cell metabolism (original) (raw)
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Journal of Cancer Science & Therapy, 2012
Cancer cells compared to their normal counterparts reveal different metabolic needs and this differential requirement of metabolic intermediates and their subsequent consequences require an elaborate understanding of cancer cell metabolism and increased energy production in these cells. Nevertheless these metabolic differences have provided opportunities for developing novel therapeutic approaches for the cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition enhanced proliferative capacities of tumor cells associated with aberrations of many signal transduction pathways resulting from genetic or epigenetic alterations has made it possible to develop countless targeted therapeutics for several types of malignancies. However at present most of our understanding about the dysregulated cancer cell metabolism is at physiological stages. With advancement in technology development, we may eventually be able to differentiate the metabolic differences between normal cells and cancerous at the single-tumor level that may influence the development of personalized cancer medicine. In this review, the focal point will be the recent developments in understanding the crucial role of metabolic enzymes, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in progression of cancer and their targeting to establish the most appropriate therapeutic strategies for better clinical outcome.
Cancer cell metabolism as new targets for novel designed therapies
Future Medicinal Chemistry, 2014
Metabolic processes are altered in cancer cells, which obtain advantages from this metabolic reprogramming in terms of energy production and synthesis of biomolecules that sustain their uncontrolled proliferation. Due to the conceptual progresses in the last decade, metabolic reprogramming was recently included as one of the new hallmarks of cancer. The advent of high-throughput technologies to amass an abundance of omic data, together with the development of new computational methods that allow the integration and analysis of omic data by using genome-scale reconstructions of human metabolism, have increased and accelerated the discovery and development of anticancer drugs and tumor-specific metabolic biomarkers. Here we review and discuss the latest advances in the context of metabolic reprogramming and the future in cancer research.
Alteration of cellular metabolism in cancer cells and its therapeutic prospects
Journal of oral and maxillofacial pathology : JOMFP
Transformation of a normal cell into a cancerous phenotype is essentially backed by genetic mutations that trigger several oncogenic signaling pathways. These signaling pathways rewire the cellular metabolism to meet the bioenergetic and biomass requirement of proliferating cell, which is different from a quiescent cell. Although the change of metabolism in a cancer cell was observed and studied in the mid-20 century, it was not adequate to explain oncogenesis. Now, equipped with a revolution of oncogenes, we have a genetic basis to explain the transformation. Through several studies, it is clear now that such metabolic alterations not only promote cancer progression but also contribute to the chemoresistance of cancer. Targeting specific enzymes and combinations of enzymes can improve the efficacy of cancer therapy and help to overcome the therapeutic resistance.
Targeting Metabolic Enzymes in Cancer – Clinical Trials Update
The uptake and utilization of glucose and glutamine by cancer cells is markedly higher than by most non-transformed, normal epithelial and mesenchymal cells. This metabolic shift enables the production of ATP and anabolic precursors necessary for the synthesis of proteins, lipids and nucleotides required for survival, proliferation and invasiveness. The observations that certain oncogenic proteins (Ras, c-Myc and HIF-1α) and tumor suppressors (P53, PTEN, Rb and VHL) regulate the expression and activity of several metabolic enzymes has supported their potential as molecular targets for the development of anti-neoplastic agents. Indeed, recent pre-clinical studies have shown that several established and novel inhibitors of metabolic enzymes exhibit reasonable therapeutic indices when tested in xenograft models of tumorigenesis. In this review, we will discuss the rationale of targeting metabolic enzymes for the treatment of cancer and then will describe published pre-clinical and clinical data for several inhibitors of metabolism in cancer.
Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: Implications for Novel Therapeutics
Carcinogenesis
Emerging evidence indicates that cancer is primarily a metabolic disease involving disturbances in energy production through respiration and fermentation. The genomic instability observed in tumor cells and all other recognized hallmarks of cancer are considered downstream epiphenomena of the initial disturbance of cellular energy metabolism. The disturbances in tumor cell energy metabolism can be linked to abnormalities in the structure and function of the mitochondria. When viewed as a mitochondrial metabolic disease, the evolutionary theory of Lamarck can better explain cancer progression than can the evolutionary theory of Darwin. Cancer growth and progression can be managed following a whole-body transition from fermentable metabolites, primarily glucose and glutamine, to respiratory metabolites, primarily ketone bodies. As each individual is a unique metabolic entity, personalization of metabolic therapy as a broad-based cancer treatment strategy will require fine-tuning to match the therapy to an individual's unique physiology.
Future Oncology, 2012
The metabolism of tumors is remarkably different from the metabolism of corresponding normal cells and tissues. Metabolic alterations are initiated by oncogenes and are required for malignant transformation, allowing cancer cells to resist some cell death signals while producing energy and fulfilling their biosynthetic needs with limiting resources. The distinct metabolic phenotype of cancers provides an interesting avenue for treatment, potentially with minimal side effects. As many cancers show similar metabolic characteristics, drugs targeting the cancer metabolic phenotype are, perhaps optimistically, expected to be 'magic bullet' treatments. Over the last few years there have been a number of potential drugs developed to specifically target cancer metabolism. Several of these drugs are currently in clinical and preclinical trials. This review outlines examples of drugs developed for different targets of significance to cancer metabolism, with a focus on small molecule leads, chemical biology and clinical results for these drugs. Keywords n cancer metabolic phenotype n cancer research n drug discovery n metabolomics n targeted therapies Review A u t h o r P r o o f Future Oncol. (2012) 8(10)
Cancer Metabolism as a New Real Target in Tumor Therapy
Cells, 2021
Cancer cells exhibit common hallmarks consisting of specific competencies acquired during the tumorigenesis process, including stimulation of cancer cell proliferation, insensitivity to growth signal inhibition, apoptosis evasion, enhancement of replicative potential, induction of angiogenesis, and tissue invasion and metastasis [...].
Targeting glucose metabolism in patients with cancer
Cancer, 2014
Nearly a century ago, Otto Warburg made the astute observation that the metabolic properties of cancer cells differ markedly from those of normal cells. Several decades passed before the concept of exploiting cancer cell metabolism came into clinical practice with the advent of chemotherapy, the underlying principle of which is to target rapidly dividing cells by interfering with critical processes that are all, on some level, driven by cell metabolism. Although chemotherapy can be quite effective, success rates are highly variable and the adverse effects associated with treatment often outweigh the benefits due to the fact that chemotherapy is indiscriminately cytotoxic against all rapidly dividing cells, cancerous or healthy. During the past several years, a more intricate understanding of cancer cell metabolism has permitted the development of targeted therapies that aim to specifically target cancer cells and spare healthy tissue by exploiting the altered metabolism of cancer cells. The identification of new metabolic targets and the subsequent development of small-molecule inhibitors of metabolic enzymes have demonstrated the utility and promise of targeting cancer cell metabolism as an anticancer strategy. This review summarizes recent advances in the identification and characterization of several metabolic enzymes as emerging anticancer targets.
Cancer metabolism: a therapeutic perspective
Nature reviews. Clinical oncology, 2016
Awareness that the metabolic phenotype of cells within tumours is heterogeneous - and distinct from that of their normal counterparts - is growing. In general, tumour cells metabolize glucose, lactate, pyruvate, hydroxybutyrate, acetate, glutamine, and fatty acids at much higher rates than their nontumour equivalents; however, the metabolic ecology of tumours is complex because they contain multiple metabolic compartments, which are linked by the transfer of these catabolites. This metabolic variability and flexibility enables tumour cells to generate ATP as an energy source, while maintaining the reduction-oxidation (redox) balance and committing resources to biosynthesis - processes that are essential for cell survival, growth, and proliferation. Importantly, experimental evidence indicates that metabolic coupling between cell populations with different, complementary metabolic profiles can induce cancer progression. Thus, targeting the metabolic differences between tumour and nor...