Nano-medicine therapy reprogramming metabolic network of tumour microenvironment: new opportunity for cancer therapies

Abstract

Metabolic heterogeneity is one of the characteristics of tumour cells. In order to adapt to the tumour microenvironment of hypoxia, acidity and nutritional deficiency, tumour cells have undergone extensive metabolic reprogramming. Metabolites involved in tumour cell metabolism are also very different from normal cells, such as a large number of lactate and adenosine. Metabolites play an important role in regulating the whole tumour microenvironment. Taking metabolites as the target, it aims to change the metabolic pattern of tumour cells again, destroy the energy balance it maintains, activate the immune system, and finally kill tumour cells. In this paper, the regulatory effects of metabolites such as lactate, glutamine, arginine, tryptophan, fatty acids and adenosine were reviewed, and the related targeting strategies of nano-medicines were summarised, and the future therapeutic strategies of nano-drugs were discussed. The abnormality of tumour metabolites caused by tumour metabolic remodelling not only changes the energy and material supply of tumour, but also participates in the regulation of tumour-related signal pathways, which plays an important role in the survival, proliferation, invasion and metastasis of tumour cells. Regulating the availability of local metabolites is a new aspect that affects tumour progress. (The graphical abstract is by Figdraw).

Graphical Abstract

Highlight

• Metabolic heterogeneity is one of the important characteristics of tumour cells, and the metabolites of tumour cells are very different from those of normal cells.

• Lactate, fatty acids, glutamine, arginine, tryptophan and adenosine are all important metabolites in tumour metabolism.

• Nano-medicines are used to regulate tumour metabolites, affecting the energy and material supply of tumour cells, thus achieving therapeutic effects.

Keywords:

• Metabolite
• tumour microenvironment
• immune cells
• nano-medicine
• lactate
• fatty acids
• glutamine
• argine
• tryptophan
• adenosine

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China [No. 82260699], the Science and Technology Leading Talents of Ningxia [No. 2022GKLRLX011], Nature Science Foundation of Ningxia [No. 2022AAC02035] and West Light Foundation of The Chinese Academy of Sciences.