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Nutrients Oct 2023Cancer is amenable to low-cost treatments, given that it has a significant metabolic component, which can be affected through diet and lifestyle change at minimal cost.... (Review)
Review
Cancer is amenable to low-cost treatments, given that it has a significant metabolic component, which can be affected through diet and lifestyle change at minimal cost. The Warburg hypothesis states that cancer cells have an altered cell metabolism towards anaerobic glycolysis. Given this metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, it is possible to target cancers metabolically by depriving them of glucose. In addition to dietary and lifestyle modifications which work on tumors metabolically, there are a panoply of nutritional supplements and repurposed drugs associated with cancer prevention and better treatment outcomes. These interventions and their evidentiary basis are covered in the latter half of this review to guide future cancer treatment.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Glycolysis; Energy Metabolism; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 37836529
DOI: 10.3390/nu15194245 -
Current Drug Metabolism 2018Despite the therapeutic use of peptides is limited because of their metabolism in vivo, there are no systematic reviews explaining degradation of peptides by peptidases.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Despite the therapeutic use of peptides is limited because of their metabolism in vivo, there are no systematic reviews explaining degradation of peptides by peptidases. This review summarizes peptidases present in the tissues and metabolic characteristics of peptides, and provides recent strategies for improving the metabolic stability of peptides.
METHOD
We reviewed a number of peptidases including their functional groups, tissue localization and cleavage specificity. Given the broad distribution of peptidases in the body, several tissues, such as the liver, kidney, lung, blood, nasal epithelial cells, placenta and skin, have the capacity to metabolize peptides. We compared the metabolic characteristics of peptides in these tissues and then summarized strategies for improving peptide stability.
RESULTS
In addition to the primary organs including liver, kidney, gastrointestinal tract and blood involved in peptide metabolism, other organs such as the lung, skin, placenta and nasal mucosa may also play a role in peptide degradation. At present, the main measures to improve the stability of the peptide include N- and/or C-terminal modification or substitution, D-amino acid or unnatural amino acid substitution, cyclization, backbone modification, nanoparticle formulations and increased molecular mass.
CONCLUSION
This review summarized the key in vivo peptidases and their tissue distribution characteristics, and presented strategies to improve the metabolic stability and bioavailability of peptide drugs. These viewpoints will benefit the further development and utilization of peptide drugs.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Peptide Hydrolases; Peptides; Proteolysis; Tissue Distribution
PubMed: 29956618
DOI: 10.2174/1389200219666180628171531 -
Revisited Metabolic Control and Reprogramming Cancers by Means of the Warburg Effect in Tumor Cells.International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2022Aerobic glycolysis is an emerging hallmark of many human cancers, as cancer cells are defined as a "metabolically abnormal system". Carbohydrates are metabolically... (Review)
Review
Aerobic glycolysis is an emerging hallmark of many human cancers, as cancer cells are defined as a "metabolically abnormal system". Carbohydrates are metabolically reprogrammed by its metabolizing and catabolizing enzymes in such abnormal cancer cells. Normal cells acquire their energy from oxidative phosphorylation, while cancer cells acquire their energy from oxidative glycolysis, known as the "Warburg effect". Energy-metabolic differences are easily found in the growth, invasion, immune escape and anti-tumor drug resistance of cancer cells. The glycolysis pathway is carried out in multiple enzymatic steps and yields two pyruvate molecules from one glucose (Glc) molecule by orchestral reaction of enzymes. Uncontrolled glycolysis or abnormally activated glycolysis is easily observed in the metabolism of cancer cells with enhanced levels of glycolytic proteins and enzymatic activities. In the "Warburg effect", tumor cells utilize energy supplied from lactic acid-based fermentative glycolysis operated by glycolysis-specific enzymes of hexokinase (HK), keto-HK-A, Glc-6-phosphate isomerase, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase, phosphofructokinase (PFK), phosphor-Glc isomerase (PGI), fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, phosphoglycerate (PG) kinase (PGK)1, triose phosphate isomerase, PG mutase (PGAM), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, enolase, pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), PDH kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. They are related to glycolytic flux. The key enzymes involved in glycolysis are directly linked to oncogenesis and drug resistance. Among the metabolic enzymes, PKM2, PGK1, HK, keto-HK-A and nucleoside diphosphate kinase also have protein kinase activities. Because glycolysis-generated energy is not enough, the cancer cell-favored glycolysis to produce low ATP level seems to be non-efficient for cancer growth and self-protection. Thus, the Warburg effect is still an attractive phenomenon to understand the metabolic glycolysis favored in cancer. If the basic properties of the Warburg effect, including genetic mutations and signaling shifts are considered, anti-cancer therapeutic targets can be raised. Specific therapeutics targeting metabolic enzymes in aerobic glycolysis and hypoxic microenvironments have been developed to kill tumor cells. The present review deals with the tumor-specific Warburg effect with the revisited viewpoint of recent progress.
Topics: Glycolysis; Hexokinase; Humans; Neoplasms; Phosphofructokinase-1; Phosphoglycerate Kinase; Phosphoglycerate Mutase; Pyruvates; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 36077431
DOI: 10.3390/ijms231710037 -
Open Biology Nov 2022Neutrophils are front line cells in immunity that quickly recognize and eliminate pathogens, relying mainly on glycolysis to exert their killing functions. Even though... (Review)
Review
Neutrophils are front line cells in immunity that quickly recognize and eliminate pathogens, relying mainly on glycolysis to exert their killing functions. Even though investigations into the influence of metabolic pathways in neutrophil function started in the 1930s, the knowledge of how neutrophils metabolically adapt during a bacterial infection remains poorly understood. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge about the metabolic regulation underlying neutrophils response to bacterial infection. Glycogen metabolism has been shown to be important for multiple neutrophil functions. The potential contribution of metabolic pathways other than glycolysis, such as mitochondrial metabolism, for neutrophil function has recently been explored, including fatty acid oxidation in neutrophil differentiation. Complex III in the mitochondria might also control glycolysis via glycerol-3-phosphate oxidation. Future studies should yield new insights into the role of metabolic change in the anti-bacterial response in neutrophils.
Topics: Humans; Neutrophils; Glycolysis; Bacterial Infections; Mitochondria; Oxidation-Reduction
PubMed: 36416011
DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220248 -
Redox Biology Feb 2023The metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a public health challenge, leading to a global increase in chronic liver disease. The respiratory exposure of...
The metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a public health challenge, leading to a global increase in chronic liver disease. The respiratory exposure of silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) has revealed to induce hepatotoxicity. However, its role in the pathogenesis and progression of MAFLD was severely under-studied. In this context, the hepatic impacts of SiNPs were investigated in vivo and in vitro through using ApoE mice and free fatty acid (FFA)-treated L02 hepatocytes. Histopathological examinations and biochemical analysis showed SiNPs exposure via intratracheal instillation aggravated hepatic steatosis, lipid vacuolation, inflammatory infiltration and even collagen deposition in ApoE mice, companied with increased hepatic ALT, AST and LDH levels. The enhanced fatty acid synthesis and inhibited fatty acid β-oxidation and lipid efflux may account for the increased hepatic TC/TG by SiNPs. Consistently, SiNPs induced lipid deposition and elevated TC in FFA-treated L02 cells. Further, the activation of hepatic oxidative stress was detected in vivo and in vitro, as evidenced by ROS accumulation, elevated MDA, declined GSH/GSSG and down-regulated Nrf2 signaling. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was also triggered in response to SiNPs-induced lipid accumulation, as reflecting by the remarkable ER expansion and increased BIP expression. More importantly, an UPLC-MS-based metabolomics analysis revealed that SiNPs disturbed the hepatic metabolic profile in ApoE mice, prominently on amino acids and lipid metabolisms. In particular, the identified differential metabolites were strongly correlated to the activation of oxidative stress and ensuing hepatic TC/TG accumulation and liver injuries, contributing to the progression of liver diseases. Taken together, our study showed SiNPs promoted hepatic steatosis and liver damage, resulting in the aggravation of MAFLD progression. More importantly, the disturbed amino acids and lipid metabolisms-mediated oxidative stress was a key contributor to this phenomenon from a metabolic perspective.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Lipid Metabolism; Silicon Dioxide; Amino Acids; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Oxidative Stress; Liver; Nanoparticles; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Lipids; Fatty Acids
PubMed: 36512914
DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102569 -
Critical Reviews in Food Science and... 2015The biological differences between males and females are determined by a different set of genes and by a different reactivity to environmental stimuli, including the... (Review)
Review
The biological differences between males and females are determined by a different set of genes and by a different reactivity to environmental stimuli, including the diet, in general. These differences are further emphasized and driven by the exposure to a different hormone flux throughout the life. These differences have not been taken into appropriate consideration by the scientific community. Nutritional sciences are not immune from this "bias" and when nutritional needs are concerned, females are considered only when pregnant, lactating or when their hormonal profile is returning back to "normal," i.e., to the male-like profile. The authors highlight some of the most evident differences in aspects of biology that are associated with nutrition. This review presents and describes available data addressing differences and similarities of the "reference man" vs. the "reference woman" in term of metabolic activity and nutritional needs. According to this assumption, available evidences of sex-associated differences of specific biochemical pathways involved in substrate metabolism are reported and discussed. The modulation by sexual hormones affecting glucose, amino acid and protein metabolism and the metabolization of nutritional fats and the distribution of fat depots, is considered targeting a tentative starting up background for a gender concerned nutritional science.
Topics: Amino Acids; Body Composition; Diet; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Proteins; Energy Metabolism; Fatty Acids; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Humans; Lactation; Male; Metabolism; Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Pregnancy; Sex Characteristics; Sex Factors
PubMed: 24915409
DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2011.651177 -
Current Opinion in Pediatrics Feb 2020In an attempt to identify potential new therapeutic targets, efforts to describe the metabolic features unique to cancer cells are increasingly being reported. Although... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
In an attempt to identify potential new therapeutic targets, efforts to describe the metabolic features unique to cancer cells are increasingly being reported. Although current standard of care regimens for several pediatric malignancies incorporate agents that target tumor metabolism, these drugs have been part of the therapeutic landscape for decades. More recent research has focused on the identification and targeting of new metabolic vulnerabilities in pediatric cancers. The purpose of this review is to describe the most recent translational findings in the metabolic targeting of pediatric malignancies.
RECENT FINDINGS
Across multiple pediatric cancer types, dependencies on a number of key metabolic pathways have emerged through study of patient tissue samples and preclinical modeling. Among the potentially targetable vulnerabilities are glucose metabolism via glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, amino acid and polyamine metabolism, and NAD metabolism. Although few agents have yet to move forward into clinical trials for pediatric cancer patients, the robust and promising preclinical data that have been generated suggest that future clinical trials should rationally test metabolically targeted agents for relevant disease populations.
SUMMARY
Recent advances in our understanding of the metabolic dependencies of pediatric cancers represent a source of potential new therapeutic opportunities for these diseases.
Topics: Amino Acids; Antineoplastic Agents; Child; Folic Acid; Glycolysis; Humans; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Molecular Targeted Therapy; NAD; Neoplasms; Oxidative Phosphorylation; Polyamines
PubMed: 31789976
DOI: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000000853 -
Nature Biotechnology Oct 2018Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disease that is characterized by an inability to metabolize phenylalanine (Phe), which can result in neurotoxicity. To provide a...
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disease that is characterized by an inability to metabolize phenylalanine (Phe), which can result in neurotoxicity. To provide a potential alternative to a protein-restricted diet, we engineered Escherichia coli Nissle to express genes encoding Phe-metabolizing enzymes in response to anoxic conditions in the mammalian gut. Administration of our synthetic strain, SYNB1618, to the Pah PKU mouse model reduced blood Phe concentration by 38% compared with the control, independent of dietary protein intake. In healthy Cynomolgus monkeys, we found that SYNB1618 inhibited increases in serum Phe after an oral Phe dietary challenge. In mice and primates, Phe was converted to trans-cinnamate by SYNB1618, quantitatively metabolized by the host to hippurate and excreted in the urine, acting as a predictive biomarker for strain activity. SYNB1618 was detectable in murine or primate feces after a single oral dose, permitting the evaluation of pharmacodynamic properties. Our results define a strategy for translation of live bacterial therapeutics to treat metabolic disorders.
Topics: Biomarkers; Escherichia coli; Genetic Therapy; Humans; Phenylketonurias
PubMed: 30102294
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.4222 -
Function (Oxford, England) 2022At-risk alcohol use is associated with multisystemic effects and end-organ injury, and significantly contributes to global health burden. Several alcohol-mediated... (Review)
Review
At-risk alcohol use is associated with multisystemic effects and end-organ injury, and significantly contributes to global health burden. Several alcohol-mediated mechanisms have been identified, with bioenergetic maladaptation gaining credence as an underlying pathophysiological mechanism contributing to cellular injury. This evidence-based review focuses on the current knowledge of alcohol-induced bioenergetic adaptations in metabolically active tissues: liver, cardiac and skeletal muscle, pancreas, and brain. Alcohol metabolism itself significantly interferes with bioenergetic pathways in tissues, particularly the liver. Alcohol decreases states of respiration in the electron transport chain, and activity and expression of respiratory complexes, with a net effect to decrease ATP content. In addition, alcohol dysregulates major metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and fatty acid oxidation. These bioenergetic alterations are influenced by alcohol-mediated changes in mitochondrial morphology, biogenesis, and dynamics. The review highlights similarities and differences in bioenergetic adaptations according to tissue type, pattern of (acute vs. chronic) alcohol use, and energy substrate availability. The compromised bioenergetics synergizes with other critical pathophysiological mechanisms, including increased oxidative stress and accelerates cellular dysfunction, promoting senescence, programmed cell death, and end-organ injury.
Topics: Energy Metabolism; Mitochondria; Glycolysis; Oxidation-Reduction; Muscle, Skeletal; Ethanol
PubMed: 36120487
DOI: 10.1093/function/zqac039