Modulation of Cancer Metabolism by Phytochemicals - A Brief Overview

Despite tremendous research efforts for effective therapies, cancer remains the plague of the century and its burden is expected to increase worldwide in the near future. Metabolic reprogramming is a firmly established hallmark of all cancers, regardless of their cellular or tissue origin, being a prerequisite for both tumor growth and invasion. Functional dependence of tumors on glycolysis and glutaminolysis and the crucial contribution of mitochondria to the tumor bioenergetic versatility are well recognized features and established therapeutic targets. The complex landscape of tumor metabolism in the context of the dynamic, bidirectional crosstalk with its stromal environment is a rapidly evolving field that increasingly supports the view of cancer both as metabolic disease and a disease of impaired cellular 'communication'. Many of the approved anticancer drugs are derived from natural sources and the search of novel drug candidates is still a priority view the rapid development of chemoresistance. Phytochemicals are biologically active plant compounds with preventive and/or curative anticancer properties able to potentiate the effects of standard therapies while decreasing their toxicity via multitarget modulatory effects. The present mini-review will briefly summarize the hallmarks of metabolic reprogramming in tumor cells and the phytochemicals that have been reported to modulate the dysregulated metabolism of tumor and its environment, with special emphasis on triterpenes.