Colorectal Cancer Progression Is Potently Reduced by a Glucose-Free, High-Protein Diet: Comparison to Anti-EGFR Therapy.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether a glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) could reduce aerobic glycolysis and enhance the efficacy of anti-EGFR antibody therapy in colitis-driven colorectal carcinoma (CRC).
Results Summary
The GFHPD reduced systemic glucose metabolism, tumor loads, and immune checkpoint expression while improving goblet cell differentiation, showing comparable efficacy to anti-EGFR antibody therapy. In vitro, glucose-free, high-amino acid conditions reduced CRC cell proliferation and PD-L1 expression.
Population
C57BL/6 mice with AOM/DSS-induced colorectal carcinoma.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | decrease | systemic glucose metabolism | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | displayed a reduced | #1 |
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | decrease | oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complex IV expression | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | reduced | #2 |
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | decrease | tumor loads | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | diminished | #3 |
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | increase | tumoral goblet cell differentiation | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | was accompanied by enhanced | #4 |
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | decrease | colonic PD-L1 | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | decreased | #5 |
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | decrease | splenic CD3ε | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | decreased | #6 |
glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) | decrease | PD-1 immune checkpoint expression | AOM/DSS-treated mice | - | decreased | #7 |
glucose-free, high-amino acid culture conditions | decrease | proliferation | murine and human CRC cell lines MC-38 and HT29-MTX | - | reduced | #8 |
glucose-free, high-amino acid culture conditions | increase | goblet cell differentiation | murine and human CRC cell lines MC-38 and HT29-MTX | - | improved | #9 |
glucose-free, high-amino acid culture conditions | decrease | PD-L1 expression | murine and human CRC cell lines MC-38 and HT29-MTX | - | down-regulation of | #10 |
GFHPD | decrease | glycolysis activity | - | - | to systemically dampen | #11 |
GFHPD | decrease | CRC progression | - | - | reducing | #12 |
To enable rapid proliferation, colorectal tumor cells up-regulate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and aerobic glycolysis, resulting in substantial lactate release into the tumor microenvironment and impaired anti-tumor immune responses. We hypothesized that a nutritional intervention designed to reduce aerobic glycolysis may boost the EGFR-directed antibody (Ab)-based therapy of pre-existing colitis-driven colorectal carcinoma (CRC). CRC development was induced by azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) administration to C57BL/6 mice. AOM/DSS-treated mice were fed a glucose-free, high-protein diet (GFHPD) or an isoenergetic control diet (CD) in the presence or absence of an i.p. injection of an anti-EGFR mIgG2a or respective controls. AOM/DSS-treated mice on a GFHPD displayed a reduced systemic glucose metabolism associated with reduced oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complex IV expression and diminished tumor loads. Comparable but not additive to an anti-EGFR-Ab therapy, the GFHPD was accompanied by enhanced tumoral goblet cell differentiation and decreased colonic PD-L1 and splenic CD3ε, as well as PD-1 immune checkpoint expression. In vitro, glucose-free, high-amino acid culture conditions reduced proliferation but improved goblet cell differentiation of murine and human CRC cell lines MC-38 and HT29-MTX in combination with down-regulation of PD-L1 expression. We here found GFHPD to systemically dampen glycolysis activity, thereby reducing CRC progression with a similar efficacy to EGFR-directed antibody therapy.