A Ketogenic Diet Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer to Inhibition of Glutamine Metabolism.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether targeting glutamine metabolism in combination with a ketogenic diet could enhance anti-cancer effects in pancreatic cancer models.
Results Summary
The study found that a ketogenic diet increased reliance on glutamine-mediated anaplerosis in pancreatic cancer models, and combining glutamine metabolism inhibitors (DON and CB839) with the diet resulted in robust anti-cancer effects.
Population
Murine pancreatic cancer models and in vitro metabolic conditions simulating a ketogenic diet.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a ketogenic diet | decrease | anti-tumor effects | diverse cancer types | - | has been shown to have | #1 |
a ketogenic diet | increase | TCA and glutamine-associated metabolites | murine pancreatic cancer models | - | increases | #2 |
a ketogenic diet | increase | glutamine-mediated anaplerosis | - | - | leads to increased reliance on | #3 |
glutamine metabolism inhibitors, such as DON and CB839 in combination with a ketogenic diet | decrease | robust anti-cancer effects | - | - | had | #4 |
Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and while conventional chemotherapy remains the standard treatment, responses are poor. Safe and alternative therapeutic strategies are urgently needed 1 . A ketogenic diet has been shown to have anti-tumor effects across diverse cancer types but will unlikely have a significant effect alone. However, the diet shifts metabolism in tumors to create new vulnerabilities that can be targeted (1). Modulators of glutamine metabolism have shown promise in pre-clinical models but have failed to have a marked impact against cancer in the clinic. We show that a ketogenic diet increases TCA and glutamine-associated metabolites in murine pancreatic cancer models and under metabolic conditions that simulate a ketogenic diet in vitro. The metabolic shift leads to increased reliance on glutamine-mediated anaplerosis to compensate for low glucose abundance associated with a ketogenic diet. As a result, glutamine metabolism inhibitors, such as DON and CB839 in combination with a ketogenic diet had robust anti-cancer effects. These findings provide rationale to study the use of a ketogenic diet with glutamine targeted therapies in a clinical context.