Cancer cells have a unique property of uncontrolled growth and thus they
require a constant supply of energy. Warburg observed that tumor cells prefer
glycolysis even under oxygenic conditions and the process is known as aerobic
glycolysis. Hence, cancerous cells show an enhanced glucose-to-lactate conversion
rate. As cancerous growth is accompanied by enhanced glucose uptake, this feature is
best suited for the management of unwanted cell proliferation by blocking the glucose
metabolism of cancer cells. 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG), a glucose antimetabolite is
considered a competitive inhibitor of glucose transport and glucose phosphorylation. It
inhibits the glycolytic pathway primarily due to the inhibition of phosphohexose
isomerase by 2-deoxy-D-glucose-6-phosphate (2DG- 6P). Its chemical resemblance to
2-deoxymannose causes interruption in the initial steps of N-linked glycosylation
leading to the misfolding of proteins resulting in endoplasmic reticulum stress. In
addition to the two properties of 2DG namely, the prevention of glycolysis and
selective storage in the tumor cells, there are several other attributes of 2DG apart from
the ones mentioned above that make it an attractive target for use as an antitumor
agent. Some properties include the capability of inducing autophagy in tumor cells,
inhibiting genomic replication as well as mRNA expression of viral genes responsible
for Omit the induction of oncogenesis, blocking pathological angiogenesis while being
cautious towards established endothelial tubes and prominent anti-metastatic effect. In
the present chapter, various aspects of the use of 2DG in cancer management have been
discussed.
Keywords: Anticancer, Competitive inhibition, Chemotherapeutic drug, Glycolysis, Warburg effect, 2-deoxy-D-Glucose.
