{"title":"The Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Cancer: Regulation and Therapeutic Opportunities.","authors":"Noorhan Ghanem, Chirine El-Baba, Khaled Araji, Riyad El-Khoury, Julnar Usta, Nadine Darwiche","doi":"10.1159/000519784","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Tumorigenesis is associated with deregulation of nutritional requirements, intermediary metabolites production, and microenvironment interactions. Unlike their normal cell counterparts, tumor cells rely on aerobic glycolysis, through the Warburg effect.</p><p><strong>Summary: </strong>The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a major glucose metabolic shunt that is upregulated in cancer cells. The PPP comprises an oxidative and a nonoxidative phase and is essential for nucleotide synthesis of rapidly dividing cells. The PPP also generates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, which is required for reductive metabolism and to counteract oxidative stress in tumor cells. This article reviews the regulation of the PPP and discusses inhibitors that target its main pathways. Key Message: Exploiting the metabolic vulnerability of the PPP offers potential novel therapeutic opportunities and improves patients' response to cancer therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":10047,"journal":{"name":"Chemotherapy","volume":"66 5-6","pages":"179-191"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2021-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"20","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Chemotherapy","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000519784","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2021/11/12 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 20
Abstract
Background: Tumorigenesis is associated with deregulation of nutritional requirements, intermediary metabolites production, and microenvironment interactions. Unlike their normal cell counterparts, tumor cells rely on aerobic glycolysis, through the Warburg effect.
Summary: The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a major glucose metabolic shunt that is upregulated in cancer cells. The PPP comprises an oxidative and a nonoxidative phase and is essential for nucleotide synthesis of rapidly dividing cells. The PPP also generates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, which is required for reductive metabolism and to counteract oxidative stress in tumor cells. This article reviews the regulation of the PPP and discusses inhibitors that target its main pathways. Key Message: Exploiting the metabolic vulnerability of the PPP offers potential novel therapeutic opportunities and improves patients' response to cancer therapy.
期刊介绍:
This journal publishes original research articles and state-of-the-art reviews on all aspects of antimicrobial and antitumor chemotherapy. The results of experimental and clinical investigations into the microbiological and pharmacologic properties of antibacterial, antiviral and antitumor compounds are major topics of publication. Papers selected for the journal offer data concerning the efficacy, toxicology, and interactions of new drugs in single or combined applications. Studies designed to determine the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties of similar preparations and comparing their efficacy are also included. Special emphasis is given to the development of drug-resistance, an increasing problem worldwide.