Inhibition of alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2-mediated auto-enhanced photodynamic cancer therapy of co-nanoassembly between V-9302 and photosensitizer

Nano-medicine therapy reprogramming metabolic network of tumour microenvironment: new opportunity for cancer therapies

Metabolic heterogeneity is one of the characteristics of tumour cells. In order to adapt to the tumour microenvironment of hypoxia, acidity and nutritional deficiency, tumour cells have undergone extensive metabolic reprogramming. Metabolites involved in tumour cell metabolism are also very different from normal cells, such as a large number of lactate and adenosine. Metabolites play an important role in regulating the whole tumour microenvironment. Taking metabolites as the target, it aims to change the metabolic pattern of tumour cells again, destroy the energy balance it maintains, activate the immune system, and finally kill tumour cells. In this paper, the regulatory effects of metabolites such as lactate, glutamine, arginine, tryptophan, fatty acids and adenosine were reviewed, and the related targeting strategies of nano-medicines were summarised, and the future therapeutic strategies of nano-drugs were discussed. The abnormality of tumour metabolites caused by tumour metabolic remodelling not only changes the energy and material supply of tumour, but also participates in the regulation of tumour-related signal pathways, which plays an important role in the survival, proliferation, invasion and metastasis of tumour cells. Regulating the availability of local metabolites is a new aspect that affects tumour progress. (The graphical abstract is by Figdraw).

Tumor Metabolism: A New Field for the Treatment of Glioma

The clinical treatment of glioma remains relatively immature. Commonly used clinical treatments for gliomas are surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but there is a problem of drug resistance. In addition, immunotherapy and targeted therapies also suffer from the problem of immune evasion. The advent of metabolic therapy holds immense potential for advancing more efficacious and tolerable therapies against this aggressive disease. Metabolic therapy alters the metabolic processes of tumor cells at the molecular level to inhibit tumor growth and spread, and lead to better outcomes for patients with glioma that are insensitive to conventional treatments. Moreover, compared with conventional therapy, it has less impact on normal cells, less toxicity and side effects, and higher safety. The objective of this review is to examine the changes in metabolic characteristics throughout the development of glioma, enumerate the current methodologies employed for studying tumor metabolism, and highlight the metabolic reprogramming pathways of glioma along with their potential molecular mechanisms. Importantly, it seeks to elucidate potential metabolic targets for glioblastoma (GBM) therapy and summarize effective combination treatment strategies based on various studies.

Asparagine: A key metabolic junction in targeted tumor therapy

Nutrient bioavailability in the tumor microenvironment plays a pivotal role in tumor proliferation and metastasis. Among these nutrients, glutamine is a key substance that promotes tumor growth and proliferation, and its downstream metabolite asparagine is also crucial in tumors. Studies have shown that when glutamine is exhausted, tumor cells can rely on asparagine to sustain their growth. Given the reliance of tumor cell proliferation on asparagine, restricting its bioavailability has emerged as promising strategy in cancer treatment. For instance, the use of asparaginase, an enzyme that depletes asparagine, has been one of the key chemotherapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, tumor cells can adapt to asparagine restriction, leading to reduced chemotherapy efficacy, and the mechanisms by which different genetically altered tumors are sensitized or adapted to asparagine restriction vary. We review the sources of asparagine and explore how limiting its bioavailability impacts the progression of specific genetically altered tumors. It is hoped that by targeting the signaling pathways involved in tumor adaptation to asparagine restriction and certain factors within these pathways, the issue of drug resistance can be addressed. Importantly, these strategies offer precise therapeutic approaches for genetically altered cancers.