Front Oncol: new discovery! Lactate may promote the formation and development of cancer

January 18, 2020 / biool / - recently, in a research report published in the international journal frontier in oncology, scientists from the medical school of the University of anshutz and other institutions found that each cell in the body will use a glucose by-product called lactate, which can promote the carcinogenesis of mutant cells Photo source: National Institutes of health researcher Inigo San Millan said: 'we have found that lactate can be used as a catalyst to induce the mechanism in mutant cells, thus opening up the canceration process of cells Relevant research results may help to clarify the mechanism of cancer at the metabolic level, and may also help to develop new therapies to effectively inhibit cancer by targeting lactate Lactic acid is not a waste, it is the main source of cell energy, especially mitochondria About a century ago, scientists first described The key role of lactate in the development of cancer At that time, Nobel prize winner Otto Warburg found that the main characteristics of cancer cells are not only the rapid depletion of glucose, but also the increase of lactate production This process is known as the "Warburg effect" Effect), but the specific mechanism of this effect is not clear to researchers at present In 2017, researchers put forward a hypothesis through research, and they revealed the significance of the Warburg effect, that is to produce lactic acid for cancer formation Researchers such as San Millan and others began to confirm this hypothesis When they exposed human breast cancer cells to glucose, which can produce lactate, lactate will increase the expression of all major mutant genes, and the expression of these genes in breast cancer will increase by 150% - 800% We all know that not every mutated cell will turn cancerous, and some studies speculate which factors or induce the expression of mutated genes The relevant research results show that lactate may be the key trigger At present, researchers have carried out research in cancer such as small cell lung cancer to clarify whether similar results will occur According to the researchers, lactate may be a major signal molecule and gene regulator involved in cancer occurrence, which is different from the lactate we produce during exercise The lactate produced during exercise will be quickly metabolized by the body, which can improve the health of the body, while the amount of lactate produced during cancer occurrence will remain unchanged, which will continue to be produced At present, researchers still don't know the specific molecular mechanism Human muscle tissue has a greater tolerance to cancer Exercise will actually reduce the risk of some cancers and treat some cancers Now researchers begin to apply individualized exercise programs to cancer patients They hope that this strategy can be part of the cancer recovery plan At the same time, researchers will further explain how exercise can help prevent cancer And treating cancer At the same time, the researchers also try to find new ways to block lactate from leaving cancer cells When lactate is produced later, it will leave the cell through the transporter The researchers want to use different compounds to block the formation of lactate in translational white and cancer cells If successful, lactate may not leave the cell and cancer cells will not form But trying to block lactic acid in the body with systemic drugs may be fatal, so researchers need more targeted treatment In addition, lactate from cancer cells may also serve as a key "player" to keep the immune system constantly attacking cancer cells Finally, researcher San Millan said that at present, they are in-depth research to try to block the lactate produced by different cancers implanted into mice If they can effectively target the lactate, researchers may be able to develop a new personalized therapy to end cancer in the future Original source: I ñ Igo San mill á n et al Is latex an oncometric? Evidence supporting a role for latex in the regulation of transactional activity of cancer related genes in MCF7 breast cancer cells, Frontiers in oncology (2020) Doi: 10.3389/foc.2019.01536