Inhibition of tumor energy pathways for targeted esophagus cancer therapy.
Interest in targeting cancer metabolism has been renewed in recent years with the discovery that many cancer related pathways have a profound effect on metabolism and that many tumors become dependent on specific metabolic processes. Accelerated glucose uptake during anaerobic glycolysis and loss of regulation between glycolytic metabolism and respiration, are the major metabolic changes found in malignant cells. The non-metabolizable glucose analog, 2-deoxy-D-glucose inhibits glucose synthesis and adenosine triphosphate production. The adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key sensor of cellular energy and AMPK is a potential target for cancer prevention and/or treatment. Metformin is an activator of AMPK which inhibits protein synthesis and gluconeogenesis during cellular stress. This article reviews the status of clinical and laboratory researches exploring targeted therapies via metabolic pathways for treatment of esophageal cancer.
Department of Radiology, School of Paramedicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Abbas
A
Shafaee
Department of Medical Radiation Science, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Davood Zarei
DZ
Dastyar
Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Electronic address: pirayeshj@gmail.com.
Jalil Pirayesh
JP
Islamian
Department of Medical Physics, School of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Milad
M
Hatamian
D000263:Adenylate Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006019:Glycolysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000263:Adenylate Kinase
AMPK; Esophageal cancer; Gluconeogenesis; Metformin; Targeted therapy