It is reported that energy metabolism is the core feature of
tumor cells. This study is aimed to investigate the regulatory effect of two
flavonoids(
glabridin and
quercetin) on energy supply and glycolysis of
breast cancer cells,and provide reference for developing some anticancer herbal drugs with the function of regulating
tumor energy metabolism. Based on the characteristics of each pathway during energy metabolism,in the present study,the
triple negative breast cancer tumor cells( MDA-MB-231) were selected to investigate the effects of
glabridin and
quercetin on the energy metabolism of
breast cancer cells and discuss the possible mechanisms from the following five potential targets:
glucose uptake,
protein expression of
glucose transporter 1( GLUT1),
adenosine triphosphate(
ATP) level,
lactate dehydrogenase( LDH) activity,and
lactic acid( LD) concentration. The results showed that both
quercetin and
glabridin could decrease the
glucose uptake capacity of
breast cancer cells by down-regulating the
protein expression of GLUT1.
Quercetin had no significant effect on LDH activity and LD concentration; it did not affect the glycolysis process,but increased the intracellular
ATP level.
Glabridin decreased the activity of LDH and reduced LD concentration,thereby inhibiting the glycolysis metabolism of
breast cancer cells. Therefore,both
quercetin and
glabridin can regulate the energy metabolism of
breast cancer cells and can be used as potential
anticancer agents or anti-
cancer adjuvants.