Contribution of branched chain amino acids to energy production and mevalonate synthesis in cancer cells

Cellular metabolomics study in colorectal cancer cells and media following treatment with 5-fluorouracil by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND

Metabolic reprogramming is a distinctive characteristic of colorectal cancer (CRC) which provides energy and nutrients for rapid proliferation. Although numerous studies have explored the rewired metabolism of CRC, the metabolic alterations occurring in CRC when the cell cycle is arrested by treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), an anticancer drug that arrests the S phase, remain unclear.

METHODS

A systematic profiling analysis was conducted as ethoxycarbonyl/methoxime/tert-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in HT29 cells and media following 5-FU treatment in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.

RESULTS

In HT29 cells of 24 h after 5-FU treatment (3-100 μM) and 48 h after 5-FU treatment (1-10 μM), six amino acids, including valine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, glycine, and alanine and two organic acids, including pyruvic acid and lactic acid, were significantly increased compared to the DMSO-treated group. However, 48 h after 5-FU treatment (30-100 μM) in HT29 cells, the levels of these metabolites decreased along with an approximately 50% reduction in viability, an increase in the level of reactive oxygen species, induction of cycle arrest in the G1 phase, and the induction of apoptosis. On the other hand, the levels of fatty acids showed a continuous increase in HT29 cells 48 h after 5-FU treatment (1-100 μM). In the media, the decreased availabilities in the cellular uptake of nutrient metabolites, including valine, leucine, isoleucine, serine, and glutamine, were observed at 48 h after 5-FU treatment in a dose-dependent manner.

CONCLUSION

It is assumed that there is a possible shift in energy dependence from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to fatty acid metabolism. Thus, metabolic profiling analysis revealed altered energy metabolism in CRC cells following 5-FU treatment.

Comprehensive Analysis of Metabolic Changes in Mice Exposed to Corilagin Based on GC-MS Analysis

Background

Corilagin is widely distributed in various medicinal plants. In recent years, numerous pharmacological activities of Corilagin have been reported, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, and anti-fibrosis effects. However, there is still a need for systematic metabolomics analysis to further elucidate its mechanisms of action. The aim of this study was to explore the pharmacological mechanism of Corilagin.

Methods

This study utilized gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze central target tissues, comprehensively exploring the pharmacological mechanism of Corilagin in mouse models. We identified the differential metabolites by multivariate analyses, which include principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Using MetaboAnalyst 5.0 and the KEGG database was used to depict the 12 key metabolic pathways.

Results

Compared with the control group, the Corilagin induced 20, 9, 11, 7, 16, 19, 14, 15, and 16 differential metabolites in the intestine, lung, kidney, stomach, heart, liver, hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and serum, respectively. And 12 key pathways involving glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism were identified following Corilagin treatment.

Conclusion

This research provides insight into the action mechanism of Corilagin's anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor, and neuroprotective properties.

In-depth mass spectrometry analysis of rhGH administration altered energy metabolism and steroidogenesis

Growth hormone, as a proteohormone, is primarily known of its dramatic effect on longitudinal growth. Recombinant DNA technology has provided a safe, abundant and comparatively cheap supply of human GH for growth hormone-deficient individuals. However, many healthy subjects, especially athletics, administrate GH for enhanced athletic performance or strength. A better and more comprehensive understanding of rhGH effect in healthy individuals is urgent and essential. In this study, we recruited 14 healthy young male and injected rhGH once. Untargeted LC-MS metabolomics profiling of serum and urine was performed before and after the rhGH injection. The GH-induced dysregulation of energy related pathways, such as amino acid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, glycolysis and TCA cycle, was revealed. Moreover, individuals supplemented with micro-doses of rhGH exhibited significantly changed urinary steroidal profiles, suggesting a role of rhGH in both energy metabolism and steroidogenesis. We expect that our results will be helpful to provide new evidence on the effects of rhGH injection and provide potential biomarkers for rhGH administration.

Branched-chain amino acids catabolism and cancer progression: focus on therapeutic interventions

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including valine, leucine, and isoleucine, are crucial amino acids with significant implications in tumorigenesis across various human malignancies. Studies have demonstrated that altered BCAA metabolism can influence tumor growth and progression. Increased levels of BCAAs have been associated with tumor growth inhibition, indicating their potential as anti-cancer agents. Conversely, a deficiency in BCAAs can promote tumor metastasis to different organs due to the disruptive effects of high BCAA concentrations on tumor cell migration and invasion. This disruption is associated with tumor cell adhesion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and invasion. Furthermore, BCAAs serve as nitrogen donors, contributing to synthesizing macromolecules such as proteins and nucleotides crucial for cancer cell growth. Consequently, BCAAs exhibit a dual role in cancer, and their effects on tumor growth or inhibition are contingent upon various conditions and concentrations. This review discusses these contrasting findings, providing valuable insights into BCAA-related therapeutic interventions and ultimately contributing to a better understanding of their potential role in cancer treatment.

Multi-Omics Analysis Revealed Increased De Novo Synthesis of Serine and Lower Activity of the Methionine Cycle in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

A pipeline for metabolomics, based on UPLC-ESI-MS, was tested on two malignant breast cancer cell lines of the sub-types ER(+), PR(+), and HER2(3+) (MCF-7 and BCC), and one non-malignant epithelial cancer cell line (MCF-10A). This allowed us to quantify 33 internal metabolites, 10 of which showed a concentration profile associated with malignancy. Whole-transcriptome RNA-seq was also carried out for the three mentioned cell lines. An integrated analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics was carried out using a genome-scale metabolic model. Metabolomics revealed the depletion of several metabolites that have homocysteine as a precursor, which was consistent with the lower activity of the methionine cycle caused by lower expression of the AHCY gene in cancer cell lines. Increased intracellular serine pools in cancer cell lines appeared to result from the over-expression of PHGDH and PSPH, which are involved in intracellular serine biosynthesis. An increased concentration of pyroglutamic acid in malignant cells was linked to the overexpression of the gene CHAC1.

Plasma metabolomics of oral squamous cell carcinomas based on NMR and MS approaches provides biomarker identification and survival prediction

Metabolomics has proven to be an important omics approach to understand the molecular pathways underlying the tumour phenotype and to identify new clinically useful markers. The literature on cancer has illustrated the potential of this approach as a diagnostic and prognostic tool. The present study aimed to analyse the plasma metabolic profile of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and controls and to compare patients with metastatic and primary tumours at different stages and subsites using nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. To our knowledge, this is the only report that compared patients at different stages and subsites and replicates collected in diverse institutions at different times using these methodologies. Our results showed a plasma metabolic OSCC profile suggestive of abnormal ketogenesis, lipogenesis and energy metabolism, which is already present in early phases but is more evident in advanced stages of the disease. Reduced levels of several metabolites were also associated with an unfavorable prognosis. The observed metabolomic alterations may contribute to inflammation, immune response inhibition and tumour growth, and may be explained by four nonexclusive views-differential synthesis, uptake, release, and degradation of metabolites. The interpretation that assimilates these views is the cross talk between neoplastic and normal cells in the tumour microenvironment or in more distant anatomical sites, connected by biofluids, signalling molecules and vesicles. Additional population samples to evaluate the details of these molecular processes may lead to the discovery of new biomarkers and novel strategies for OSCC prevention and treatment.

Branched chain amino acids catabolism as a source of new drug targets in pathogenic protists

Leucine, isoleucine, and valine, collectively termed Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA), are hydrophobic amino acids (AAs) and are essential for most eukaryotes since in these organisms they cannot be biosynthesized and must be supplied by the diet. These AAs are structurally relevant for muscle cells and, of course, important for the protein synthesis process. The metabolism of BCAA and its participation in different biological processes in mammals have been relatively well described. However, for other organisms as pathogenic parasites, the literature is really scarce. Here we review the BCAA catabolism, compile evidence on their relevance for pathogenic eukaryotes with special emphasis on kinetoplastids and highlight unique aspects of this underrated pathway.

Metabolic Reprogramming of Breast Tumor-Educated Macrophages Revealed by NMR Metabolomics

The metabolic crosstalk between tumor cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) has emerged as a critical contributor to tumor development and progression. In breast cancer (BC), the abundance of immune-suppressive TAMs positively correlates with poor prognosis. However, little is known about how TAMs reprogram their metabolism in the BC microenvironment. In this work, we have assessed the metabolic and phenotypic impact of incubating THP-1-derived macrophages in conditioned media (CM) from two BC cell lines cultured in normoxia/hypoxia: MDA-MB-231 cells (highly metastatic, triple-negative BC), and MCF-7 cells (less aggressive, luminal BC). The resulting tumor-educated macrophages (TEM) displayed prominent differences in their metabolic activity and composition, compared to control cells (M0), as assessed by exo- and endometabolomics. In particular, TEM turned to the utilization of extracellular pyruvate, alanine, and branched chain keto acids (BCKA), while exhibiting alterations in metabolites associated with several intracellular pathways, including polyamines catabolism (MDA-TEM), collagen degradation (mainly MCF-TEM), adenosine accumulation (mainly MDA-TEM) and lipid metabolism. Interestingly, following a second-stage incubation in fresh RPMI medium, TEM still displayed several metabolic differences compared to M0, indicating persistent reprogramming. Overall, this work provided new insights into the metabolic plasticity of TEM, revealing potentially important nutritional exchanges and immunoregulatory metabolites in the BC TME.

Branched Chain Amino Acids Promote ATP Production Via Translocation of Glucose Transporters

Purpose

We have previously shown that maintenance of ATP levels is a promising strategy for preventing neuronal cell death, and that branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) enhanced cellular ATP levels in cultured cells and antagonized cell death. BCAAs attenuated photoreceptor degeneration and retinal ganglion cell death in rodent models of retinal degeneration or glaucoma. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms through which BCAAs enhance ATP production.

Methods

Intracellular ATP concentration was measured in HeLa cells under glycolysis and citric acid cycle inhibited conditions. Next, glucose uptake was quantified in HeLa cells and in 661W retinal photoreceptor-derived cells under glycolysis inhibition, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and glucose transporters (GLUTs) inhibited conditions, by measuring the fluorescence of fluorescently labeled deoxy-glucose analog using flow cytometry. Then, the intracellular behavior of GLUT1 and GLUT3 were observed in HeLa or 661W cells transfected with enhanced green fluorescent protein-GLUTs.

Results

BCAAs recovered intracellular ATP levels during glycolysis inhibition and during citric acid cycle inhibition. BCAAs significantly increased glucose uptake and recovered decreased glucose uptake induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress or glycolysis inhibition. However, BCAAs were unable to increase intracellular ATP levels or glucose uptake when GLUTs were inhibited. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that supplementation of BCAAs enhanced the translocation of GLUTs proteins to the plasma membrane over time.

Conclusions

BCAAs increase ATP production by promoting glucose uptake through promotion of glucose transporters translocation to the plasma membrane. These results may help expand the clinical application of BCAAs in retinal neurodegenerative diseases, such as glaucoma and retinal degeneration.