title: Evaluation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose as a chemotherapeutic agent: mechanism of cell death.
abstract: Nutrient deprivation has been shown to cause cancer cell death. To exploit nutrient deprivation as anti-cancer therapy, we investigated the effects of the anti-metabolite 2-deoxy-D-glucose on breast cancer cells in vitro. This compound has been shown to inhibit glucose metabolism. Treatment of human breast cancer cell lines with 2-deoxy-D-glucose results in cessation of cell growth in a dose dependent manner. Cell viability as measured by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide conversion assay and clonogenic survival are decreased with 2-deoxy-D-glucose treatment indicating that 2-deoxy-D-glucose causes breast cancer cell death. The cell death induced by 2-deoxy-D-glucose was found to be due to apoptosis as demonstrated by induction of caspase 3 activity and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Breast cancer cells treated with 2-deoxy-D-glucose express higher levels of Glut1 transporter protein as measured by Western blot analysis and have increased glucose uptake compared to non-treated breast cancer cells. From these results we conclude that 2-deoxy-D-glucose treatment causes death in human breast cancer cell lines by the activation of the apoptotic pathway. Our data suggest that breast cancer cells treated with 2-deoxy-D-glucose accelerate their own demise by initially expressing high levels of glucose transporter protein, which allows increased uptake of 2-deoxy-D-glucose, and subsequent induction of cell death. These data support the targeting of glucose metabolism as a site for chemotherapeutic intervention by agents such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, MO 63110, USA. aftr@msnotes.wustl.edu
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Aft
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gius
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001692:Biological Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015195:Drug Design; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D006801:Humans; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D051272:Glucose Transporter Type 1; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; C495677:SLC2A1 protein, human; D003847:Deoxyglucose; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D005947:Glucose