Abstract :
Cancer cells are in high demand for energy to sustain uncontrolled proliferation and survival. The alteration in the metabolic pathways is an adaption by the cancer cells to maintain the energy requirements as well as the synthesis of various macro molecules for cell growth and proliferation. Many plant-derived compounds have biomedical importance in the management of various diseases including cancer. In this review, we discuss various plant-derived compounds and their role in modulating the carbohydrate metabolism in cancer cells.Several natural compounds effectively suppress the glycolytic activity in cancer cells. The role of several plant-derived compounds was reported to modulate glucose uptake, inhibition of glycolysis, and inhibition of pentose phosphate pathway as an indicator of reversing the Warburg effect.Cancer cells have a higher rate of uptake of glucose and the amino acid glutamine than normal cells. This increased glucose uptake is also associated with a high rate of glycolysis resulting accumulation of lactate both in intracellular and extracellular spaces. The dependency of cancer cells on glycolysis even in the presence of abundant oxygen is first described by Otto Warburg and named after him as the Warburg effect. The Ammonia byproduct that is built up as a result of glutamine metabolism helps in the proliferation of cancer cells. Some phytocompounds show anticancer properties and reversing the Warburg effect. Characterization of plant-derived compounds for modulation of glucose uptake, inhibition of glycolysis, and inhibition of pentose phosphate pathway has promising prospects in the future.
Keyword :
Warburg effect, Carbohydrate metabolism, Phytocompounds, Polyphenols, Glycolysis, GLUT1 transporter