Glutamine metabolism drives tumor aggressiveness but not chemoresistance in ovarian carcinoma cell lines. (PubMed, Transl Cancer Res)
Glutamine and glucose consumption, chemosensitivity to cisplatin and paclitaxel, and doubling time were analyzed in three ovarian carcinoma cell lines (ES-2, TOV-21G: clear cell; OVCAR-3: serous papillary) and primary ascites cells under varying glutamine concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, 4 mM). Intense glutaminolysis is associated with increased tumor aggressiveness, suggesting a prognostic role for 18F-(2S,4R)-4-fluoroglutamine (18F-fluoroglutamine) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Glutamine supplementation, without impacting chemoresistance, may mitigate iatrogenic effects, while targeting glutaminolysis offers a therapeutic perspective.