Metabolic Effects of Glutamine on Glycolysis in Kidney Cancer Cells

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant disease where cancer cells are found in the lining of tubules in the kidney. Despite rigorous research, survival rates and treatment options are poor if not diagnosed and treated early. It has been shown that along with the growth of RCC comes an increase in lactate production. Glutamine is an amino acid highly metabolized in cancerous environments due to its involvement in cellular respiration and protection against oxidative stress through the Warburg effect. However, further research is still required to better understand the relationship between glutamine metabolism and the production of lactate and other residual metabolites such as proline, alanine, and acetate. In this study, multiple trials of the glycolytic effects of the absence or presence of 5-, 10-, and 20-mM glutamine in complete media was examined in the culture of A498 and Caki-1 kidney cancer cells. The response of the cells to a 2% O2 hypoxic environment using a 5% CO2 hypoxia incubator was also tested. These NMR results will be discussed along with other supporting data.