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Targeting Sugar Uptake and Metabolism for Cancer Identification and Therapy: An Overview

Marina Tanasova1, Vagarshak V Begoyan1, Lukasz J Weselinski1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States.

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
|May 24, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Cancer cells

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Metabolic deregulation is a hallmark of cancer.
  • Cancer cells exhibit high sugar uptake and metabolism.
  • Sugar transporters are overexpressed in various cancer types.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in targeting cancer cells via sugar transport.
  • To explore strategies for cancer detection and therapy based on sugar metabolism.

Main Methods:

  • Glycoconjugation of drugs and imaging agents to sugar moieties.
  • Inhibition of sugar uptake and metabolism in cancer cells.
  • Literature review of current research in the field.

Main Results:

  • Glycoconjugation enhances drug and imaging agent accumulation in cancer cells.
  • Metabolic inhibitors can induce cancer cell starvation or death.
  • Targeting sugar transport offers dual roles in cancer detection and therapy.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting cancer cell sugar transport is a promising strategy for novel cancer therapies.
  • Exploiting metabolic vulnerabilities presents new avenues for cancer treatment.
  • Sugar transport modulation holds potential for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications in oncology.
Keywords:
Cancer ImagingCarbohydrate UptakeDrug DeliveryGLUTsGlycoconjugatesImaging AgentsNanoparticlesSugar-Disease ConnectionUptake Inhibitors.

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