Intervention with drug resistance related to metabolism of cancer cells:advances in research / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

ABSTRACT

The metabolic properties of cancer cells diverge significantly from those of normal cells. Energy production in cancer cells is abnormally dependent on aerobic glycolysis. In addition,cancer cells have other metabolic characteristics,such as increasing fatty acid synthesis and glutamine metabolism. Emerging evidences show that many key enzymes in dysregulated Warburg-like glucose metabolism,fatty acid synthesis and glutaminolysis are linked to drug resistance in cancer treatment. For example, lactate dehydrogenase A contributes to paclitaxel/trastuzuma resistance in breast cancer, fatty acid synthase is linked to docetaxel/trastuzumab/adriamycin resistance in breast cancer, and glutaminolysis is linked to cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer. Therefore,targeting cellular metabolism may improve the response to cancer therapeutics,and the combination of chemotherapeutic drugs with cellular metabolism inhibitors may overcome drug resistance in cancer therapy. This review discussed the relationship between dysregulated cellular metabolism and chemotherapy resistance, and the way in which targeting of metabolic enzymes can help overcome the resistance to cancer therapy or enhance the efficacy of common therapeutic agents.