diet Methionine-Restricted Diet / PKM2 Cancer Research Results

dietMet, diet Methionine-Restricted Diet: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Methionine (MET) restriction (MR) has been shown to arrest cancer growth and sensitizes tumors to chemotherapy.
-Many cancer cells rely heavily on exogenous methionine to sustain rapid growth and proliferation because they often have impaired methionine salvage pathways.
-Methionine contributes to the synthesis of glutathione, a key antioxidant. (Methionine is a precursor of glutathione, a tripeptide that reduces reactive oxygen species.)
-MR diets might influence the redox state of cancer cells, increasing oxidative stress and thereby leading to cell death in metabolically compromised tumor cells.
-Proliferation and growth of several types of cancer cells are inhibited by MR, while normal cells are unaffected by limiting methionine as long as homocysteine is present.
-Methionine restriction is effective when the non-essential amino acid, cysteine, is absent from the diet or media. methionine is the precursor for cysteine which is essential for the formation of GSH.
-Malignant cells lack the enzyme required to recycle homocysteine therefore giving methionine restriction the capacity to alter cancer cells while maintaining normal, healthy cells.

While vegan diets are typically low in methionine, some nuts and legumes (such as Brazil nuts and kidney beans) are rich in methionine.

Foods to avoid for MR diet:
Animal Proteins:
-Red Meat (Beef, Pork, Lamb):
-Poultry (Chicken, Turkey):
-Fish and Seafood:
-Eggs: Both the egg whites and yolks are protein rich.
-Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt
Certain Plant Proteins:
-Soy Products:
-Legumes:
Protein Supplements:

Foods Lower in Methionine (Often Favorable on an MR Diet)
Fruits & Vegetables: leafy greens, berries, apples, and citrus fruits.
Grains & Cereals: rice, oats, and barley
Nuts and Seeds: can vary in methionine content.
Alternative Protein Sources: emphasize protein sources with a lower methionine-to-cysteine ratio.

Rank Pathway / Target Axis Direction Primary Effect Notes / Cancer Relevance Ref
1 One-carbon metabolism (methionine cycle → folate cycle coupling) ↓ one-carbon flux (Met/SAM-linked metabolites) Core metabolic constraint Nature study shows dietary MR produces controlled, reproducible changes to one-carbon metabolism that alter cancer outcomes (ref)
2 Nucleotide biosynthesis (purines/thymidylate via one-carbon units) ↓ nucleotide synthesis capacity DNA/RNA synthesis limitation Same MR Nature paper links MR-driven one-carbon changes to pathways needed for proliferation and therapy response (ref)
3 Therapy sensitivity (chemo / targeted one-carbon therapy synergy) ↑ sensitivity / ↑ efficacy Therapeutic potentiation Dietary MR influences outcomes and can enhance responses to standard therapies through one-carbon metabolic rewiring (ref)
4 mTORC1 nutrient sensing (Met/SAM → SAMTOR mechanism) ↓ mTORC1 signaling when Met/SAM low Reduced anabolic growth signaling Mechanistic review: SAMTOR senses SAM (derived from methionine) and, when SAM is low, inhibits mTORC1 signaling (ref)
5 Integrated Stress Response (ISR; ATF4 induction under MR) ↑ ISR / ↑ ATF4 Amino-acid stress adaptation MR activates ISR in TNBC cells (eIF2α phosphorylation; ATF4 and targets up), demonstrating stress signaling engagement under methionine restriction (ref)
6 Glutathione (GSH) / ferroptosis coupling (CHAC1 axis) ↑ CHAC1 / ↓ GSH / ↑ ferroptosis (context-dependent) Redox vulnerability Intermittent dietary methionine deprivation augments tumoral ferroptosis; paper links effect to CHAC1 upregulation (CHAC1 promotes GSH degradation) (ref)
7 Epigenetic methylation capacity (SAM-dependent methylation) ↓ methylation potential (via ↓ SAM availability) Altered gene regulation Review focused on dietary methionine and cancer: MR impacts SAM-dependent methylation processes central to biosynthesis/regulation in tumors (ref)
8 Systemic growth signaling (IGF-1) ↓ IGF-1 Lower systemic pro-growth cue Intermittent MR reduces circulating IGF-1 (healthspan paper, but the endocrine direction is explicit and relevant to tumor growth biology) (ref)
9 Radiation sensitization (clinical feasibility context) ↑ RT sensitivity (preclinical); feasible in humans Translational evidence Phase I pilot: MR diet given concurrently with radiation—supports feasibility/safety; paper states preclinical evidence of MRD sensitizing cancer to RT (ref)
10 In vivo tumor growth ↓ tumor growth / ↓ progression (model-dependent) Demonstrated anti-tumor effect Nature MR paper demonstrates MR can influence tumor outcomes in mouse cancer models (ref)


PKM2, Pyruvate Kinase, Muscle 2: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type: enzyme
PKM2 (Pyruvate Kinase, Muscle 2) is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in glycolysis, the process by which cells convert glucose into energy. PKM2 is a key regulatory enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, and it is primarily expressed in various tissues, including muscle, brain, and cancer cells.
-C-myc is a common oncogene that enhances aerobic glycolysis in the cancer cells by transcriptionally activating GLUT1, HK2, PKM2 and LDH-A
-PKM2 has been shown to be overexpressed in many types of tumors, including breast, lung, and colon cancer. This overexpression may contribute to the development and progression of cancer by promoting glycolysis and energy production in cancer cells.
-inhibition of PKM2 may cause ATP depletion and inhibiting glycolysis.
-PK exists in four isoforms: PKM1, PKM2, PKR, and PKL
-PKM2 plays a role in the regulation of glucose metabolism in diabetes.
-PKM2 is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy.
– Pyruvate kinase catalyzes the final, rate-limiting step of glycolysis, converting phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to pyruvate with the production of ATP.
– The PKM2 isoform is uniquely regulated and can exist in both highly active tetrameric and less active dimeric forms.
– Cancer cells often favor the dimeric form of PKM2 to slow pyruvate production, thereby accumulating upstream glycolytic intermediates that can be diverted into anabolic pathways to support cell growth and proliferation.
– Under low oxygen conditions, cancer cells rely on altered metabolic pathways in which PKM2 is a key player. – The shift to aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) orchestrated in part by PKM2 helps tumor cells survive and grow in hypoxic conditions.

– Elevated expression of PKM2 is frequently observed in many cancer types, including lung, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.
– High levels of PKM2 are often correlated with enhanced tumor aggressiveness, poor differentiation, and advanced clinical stage.

PKM2 in carcinogenesis and oncotherapy

Inhibitors of PKM2:
-Shikonin, Resveratrol, Baicalein, EGCG, Apigenin, Curcumin, Ursolic Acid, Citrate (best known as an allosteric inhibitor of phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1), a key rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis) potential to directly inhibit or modulate PKM2 is less well established

Full List of PKM2 inhibitors from Database
-key connected observations: Glycolysis↓, lactateProd↓, ROS↑ in cancer cell, while some result for opposite effect on normal cells.
Tumor pyruvate kinase M2 modulators

Flavonoids effect on PKM2
Compounds name IC50/AC50uM Effect
Flavonols
1. Fisetin 0.90uM Inhibition
2. Rutin 7.80uM Inhibition
3. Galangin 8.27uM Inhibition
4. Quercetin 9.24uM Inhibition
5. Kaempferol 9.88uM Inhibition
6. Morin hydrate 37.20uM Inhibition
7. Myricetin 0.51uM Activation
8. Quercetin 3-b- D-glucoside 1.34uM Activation
9. Quercetin 3-D -galactoside 27-107uM Ineffective
Flavanons
10. Neoeriocitrin 0.65uM Inhibition
11. Neohesperidin 14.20uM Inhibition
12. Naringin 16.60uM Inhibition
13. Hesperidin 17.30uM Inhibition
14. Hesperitin 29.10uM Inhibition
15. Naringenin 70.80uM Activation
Flavanonols
16. (-)-Catechin gallateuM 0.85 Inhibition
17. (±)-Taxifolin 1.16uM Inhibition
18. (-)-Epicatechin 1.33uM Inhibition
19. (+)-Gallocatechin 4-16uM Ineffective
Phenolic acids
20. Ferulic 11.4uM Inhibition
21. Syringic and 13.8uM Inhibition
22. Caffeic acid 36.3uM Inhibition
23. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid 78.7uM Inhibition
24. Gallic acid 332.6uM Inhibition
25. Shikimic acid 990uM Inhibition
26. p-Coumaric acid 22.2uM Activation
27. Sinapinic acids 26.2uM Activation
28. Vanillic 607.9uM Activation


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2272- dietMet,    Methionine restriction - Association with redox homeostasis and implications on aging and diseases
- Review, Nor, NA
*OS↑, *mt-ROS↓, *H2S↑, *FGF21↑, *cognitive↑, *GutMicro↑, *IGF-1↓, *mTOR↓, *GSH↑, *SOD↑, *MDA↓, *NRF2↑, *HO-1↑, *NQO1↑, *GLUT4↑, *Glycolysis↑, *HK2↑, *PFK↑, *PKM2↑, *GlucoseCon↑, *ATF4↑, *PPARα↑, GSH↓, GSTs↑, ROS↑, *neuroP↑,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 1 of 1

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 1

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

GSH↓, 1,   GSTs↑, 1,   ROS↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 3

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress

GSH↑, 1,   HO-1↑, 1,   MDA↓, 1,   NQO1↑, 1,   NRF2↑, 1,   mt-ROS↓, 1,   SOD↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis

FGF21↑, 1,   GlucoseCon↑, 1,   Glycolysis↑, 1,   H2S↑, 1,   HK2↑, 1,   PFK↑, 1,   PKM2↑, 1,   PPARα↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State

IGF-1↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature

ATF4↑, 1,  

Barriers & Transport

GLUT4↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers

GutMicro↑, 1,  

Functional Outcomes

cognitive↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 1,   OS↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 23

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: PKM2, Pyruvate Kinase, Muscle 2
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells
Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:292  Target#:772  State#:%  Dir#:%
wNotes=0 sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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