Targeting Mitochondria in Glioma: New Hopes for a Cure

Drugs targeting mitochondrial energy metabolism are emerging as promising antitumor therapeutics. Glioma treatment is extremely challenging due to the high complexity of the tumor and the high cellular heterogeneity. From a metabolic perspective, glioma cancer cells can be classified into the oxidat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lidia Gatto, Vincenzo Di Nunno, Anna Ghelardini, Alicia Tosoni, Stefania Bartolini, Sofia Asioli, Stefano Ratti, Anna Luisa Di Stefano, Enrico Franceschi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Biomedicines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/12/2730
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Summary:Drugs targeting mitochondrial energy metabolism are emerging as promising antitumor therapeutics. Glioma treatment is extremely challenging due to the high complexity of the tumor and the high cellular heterogeneity. From a metabolic perspective, glioma cancer cells can be classified into the oxidative metabolic phenotype (mainly depending on mitochondrial respiration for energy production) and glycolytic phenotype or “Warburg effect” (mainly depending on glycolysis). Herein, we reviewed the function of novel bio-active molecules targeting oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial dynamics. These molecules exhibit intriguing preclinical and clinical results and have been proven to be promising candidates to be further developed for glioma therapy. However, despite these initial encouraging results, it is imperative to rigorously assess the side effects of these metabolic drugs, which have a non-negligible toxicity profile.
ISSN:2227-9059