Regulatory effects of glabridin and quercetin on energy metabolism of breast cancer cells

Abstract

It is reported that energy metabolism is the core feature of tumor cells. This study is aimed to investigate the regulatory effect of two flavonoids( glabridin and quercetin) on energy supply and glycolysis of breast cancer cells,and provide reference for developing some anticancer herbal drugs with the function of regulating tumor energy metabolism. Based on the characteristics of each pathway during energy metabolism,in the present study,the triple negative breast cancer tumor cells( MDA-MB-231) were selected to investigate the effects of glabridin and quercetin on the energy metabolism of breast cancer cells and discuss the possible mechanisms from the following five potential targets: glucose uptake,protein expression of glucose transporter 1( GLUT1),adenosine triphosphate( ATP) level,lactate dehydrogenase( LDH) activity,and lactic acid( LD) concentration. The results showed that both quercetin and glabridin could decrease the glucose uptake capacity of breast cancer cells by down-regulating the protein expression of GLUT1. Quercetin had no significant effect on LDH activity and LD concentration; it did not affect the glycolysis process,but increased the intracellular ATP level. Glabridin decreased the activity of LDH and reduced LD concentration,thereby inhibiting the glycolysis metabolism of breast cancer cells. Therefore,both quercetin and glabridin can regulate the energy metabolism of breast cancer cells and can be used as potential anticancer agents or anti-cancer adjuvants.