Phytochemicals targeting metabolic reprogramming in cancer: an assessment of role, mechanisms, pathways and therapeutic relevance

Abstract

The metabolism of cancer is remarkably different from that of normal cells and confers variety of benefits including the promotion of other cancer hallmarks. As the rewired metabolism is a near-universal property of cancer cells, efforts are underway to exploit metabolic vulnerabilities for therapeutic benefit. In the continued search for a safer and effective ways of cancer treatment, structurally diverse plant-based compounds have gained substantial attention. Here, we present an extensive assessment of the role of phytocompounds in modulating cancer metabolism and make a case for the use of plant-based compounds in targeting metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer. We discuss the interactions of phytocompounds with major metabolic pathways and evaluate the role of phytochemicals in the regulation of growth signaling and transcriptional programs involved in metabolic transformation of cancer. Lastly, we examine the potential of these compounds in clinical management of cancer along with limitations and challenges

Smilax china root extract as a novel Glucose- 6-phosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

“…Our findings are comparable with the results of Mele et al, (2018) , demonstrating that a natural molecule polydatin directly inhibits G6PD, resulting in redox imbalance leading to apoptosis, ER stress and cell cycle arrest. Another natural compound resveratrol isolated from the fruit of Vitis vinifera was found to decrease G6PD activity leading to anticancer activity in MCF-7, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines ( Khan et al, 2020 ).…”

Phytocompounds targeting epigenetic modulations: an assessment in cancer

“…Besides this, plant-based compounds possess the ability to target deregulated metabolic proteins and pathways in cancer, such as glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, etc. (Pani et al, 2020;Khan et al, 2021a;Khan et al, 2021b). These multipronged functions of phytocompounds, targeted at various cellular pathways implicated epigenetically in cancer, can be a promising solution in the treatment of this deadliest disease.…”