Akbay, B.; Omarova, Z.; Trofimov, A.; Sailike, B.; Karapina, O.; Molnár, F.; Tokay, T. Double-Edge Effects of Leucine on Cancer Cells. Preprints2024, 2024090126. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0126.v1
APA Style
Akbay, B., Omarova, Z., Trofimov, A., Sailike, B., Karapina, O., Molnár, F., & Tokay, T. (2024). Double-Edge Effects of Leucine on Cancer Cells. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0126.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Akbay, B., Ferdinand Molnár and Tursonjan Tokay. 2024 "Double-Edge Effects of Leucine on Cancer Cells" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.0126.v1
Abstract
Leucine is an essential amino acid that cannot be produced endogenously in the human body and therefore needs to be obtained from dietary sources. Leucine plays a pivotal role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis along with isoleucine and valine as the group of branched-chain amino acids making them as one of the most popular dietary supplements for athletes and gym-goers. Individual effects of leucine, however, are not fully clarified, as most of the studies focused on the grouped effects of branched-chain amino acids. In recent years, leucine and its metabolites have been shown to stimulate muscle protein synthesis mainly via mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling pathway, thereby improving muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia. Interestingly, cancer research suggests that leucine may have either anti-cancer or carcinogenic effects. In the current manuscript, we aim to review leucine's roles in muscle protein synthesis, tumor suppression, and tumor progression, specifically summarizing the molecular mechanisms of leucine's action. The role of leucine is controversial in hepatocellular carcinoma, whereas its carcinogenic effects have been demonstrated in breast and pancreatic cancers. In summary, leucine being used as nutritional supplement for athletes needs more attention, as its oncogenic effects may have been identified by recent studies. Anti-cancer or carcinogenic effects of leucine in various cancers should be further investigated to have clear conclusions.
Copyright:
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