Cancers, Vol. 10, Pages 476: Propranolol Promotes Glucose Dependence and Synergizes with Dichloroacetate for Anti-Cancer Activity in HNSCC

Cancers, Vol. 10, Pages 476: Propranolol Promotes Glucose Dependence and Synergizes with Dichloroacetate for Anti-Cancer Activity in HNSCC Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers10120476 Authors: Christopher T. Lucido W. Keith Miskimins Paola D. Vermeer Tumor cell metabolism differs from that of normal cells, conferring tumors with metabolic advantages but affording opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Accordingly, metabolism-targeting therapies have shown promise. However, drugs targeting singular metabolic pathways display limited efficacy, in part due to the tumor’s ability to compensate by using other metabolic pathways to meet energy and growth demands. Thus, it is critical to identify novel combinations of metabolism-targeting drugs to improve therapeutic efficacy in the face of compensatory cellular response mechanisms. Our lab has previously identified that the anti-cancer activity of propranolol, a non-selective beta-blocker, is associated with inhibition of mitochondrial metabolism in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In response to propranolol, however, HNSCC exhibits heightened glycolytic activity, which may limit the effectiveness of propranolol as a single agent. Thus, we hypothesized that propranolol’s metabolic effects promote a state of enhanced glucose dependence, and that propranolol together with glycolytic inhibition would provide a highly effective therapeutic combination in HNSCC. Here, we show that gluco...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research