Chiarella Emanuela, Nisticò Clelia, Di Vito Anna, Morrone Helen Linda, Mesuraca Maria
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University Magna Græcia, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
Unit of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University Magna Græcia, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
Biomedicines. 2022 May 16;10(5):1146. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10051146.
Metabolic reprogramming represents a hallmark of tumorigenesis to sustain survival in harsh conditions, rapid growth and metastasis in order to resist to cancer therapies. These metabolic alterations involve glucose metabolism, known as the Warburg effect, increased glutaminolysis and enhanced amino acid and lipid metabolism, especially the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway known as the mevalonate pathway and these are upregulated in several cancer types, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In particular, it was demonstrated that the mevalonate pathway has a pivotal role in cellular transformation. Therefore, targeting this biochemical process with drugs such as statins represents a promising therapeutic strategy to be combined with other anticancer treatments. In the last decade, several studies have revealed that amino-bisphosphonates (BP), primarily used for bone fragility disorders, also exhibit potential anti-cancer activity in leukemic cells, as well as in patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma. Indeed, these compounds inhibit the farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, a key enzyme in the mevalonate pathway, reducing isoprenoid formation of farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. This, in turn, inhibits the prenylation of small Guanosine Triphosphate-binding proteins, such as Ras, Rho, Rac, Rab, which are essential for regulating cell survival membrane ruffling and trafficking, interfering with cancer key signaling events involved in clonal expansion and maturation block of progenitor cells in myeloid hematological malignancies. Thus, in this review, we discuss the recent advancements about bisphosphonates' effects, especially zoledronate, analyzing the biochemical mechanisms and anti-tumor effects on AML model systems. Future studies will be oriented to investigate the clinical relevance and significance of BP treatment in AML, representing an attractive therapeutic strategy that could be integrated into chemotherapy.
代谢重编程是肿瘤发生的一个标志,以维持在恶劣条件下的生存、快速生长和转移,从而抵抗癌症治疗。这些代谢改变涉及葡萄糖代谢,即所谓的瓦伯格效应,谷氨酰胺分解增加,氨基酸和脂质代谢增强,特别是称为甲羟戊酸途径的胆固醇生物合成途径,并且在包括急性髓性白血病(AML)在内的几种癌症类型中上调。特别是,已证明甲羟戊酸途径在细胞转化中起关键作用。因此,用他汀类药物等药物靶向这一生物化学过程代表了一种有前景的治疗策略,可与其他抗癌治疗联合使用。在过去十年中,多项研究表明,主要用于治疗骨脆弱性疾病的氨基双膦酸盐(BP)在白血病细胞以及有症状的多发性骨髓瘤患者中也表现出潜在的抗癌活性。事实上,这些化合物抑制甲羟戊酸途径中的关键酶法尼基焦磷酸合酶,减少法尼基焦磷酸和香叶基香叶基焦磷酸的类异戊二烯形成。这反过来又抑制了小GTP结合蛋白(如Ras、Rho、Rac、Rab)的异戊二烯化,这些蛋白对于调节细胞存活、膜皱褶和运输至关重要,干扰了髓系血液恶性肿瘤中祖细胞克隆扩增和成熟阻滞所涉及的癌症关键信号事件。因此,在本综述中,我们讨论了双膦酸盐作用的最新进展,特别是唑来膦酸,分析了其对AML模型系统的生化机制和抗肿瘤作用。未来的研究将致力于调查BP治疗在AML中的临床相关性和意义,这代表了一种有吸引力的治疗策略,可以整合到化疗中。