Targeting acidity in cancer and diabetes

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Metabolic Diseases
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Cancer and diabetes exhibit significant metabolic reprogramming.
• Metabolic adaptations in cancer often mirror those in diabetes.
• Acidosis, specifically lactic acidosis, is an emerging commonality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the convergence of diabetic and cancer metabolism concerning lactic acid generation.
• To investigate the role of extracellular lactic acidosis in both diseases.
• To identify acidosis as a potential therapeutic target.

Main Methods:

• Review of metabolic commonalities between cancer and diabetes.
• Examination of lactic acid production and its impact on the microenvironment.
• Discussion of therapeutic strategies targeting acidosis.

Main Results:

• Extracellular lactic acidosis is integral to disease manifestation and a negative prognostic factor in both cancer and diabetes.
• In cancer, acidosis promotes invasion, metastasis, and immune evasion.
• In diabetes, acidosis impairs insulin binding, exacerbating insulin resistance.

Conclusions:

• Acidosis represents a shared, critical pathway in cancer and diabetes.
• Targeting acidosis may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for both conditions.
• Potential interventions include buffers, nanomedicine, and proton pump inhibitors.