Emerging Role of Folate-Mediated One Carbon Metabolism in Leukemia: A Review.

Leukemia is a type of cancer that develops in the bone marrow and blood cells. When the DNA of a cell undergoes one mutation or a series of mutations results in the formation of leukemia cells. These leukemia cells, "blasts," cannot mature into fully functioning WBCs. Leukemia increases WBCs which compete for space with RBCs and platelets that the body requires to function normally; each may be classified as acute or chronic, myeloid or lymphoid, depending on the originating cell and the growth rate. Nearly 2.5% of all new cancer cases and 3.1% of cancer-related deaths were attributable to Leukemia. Leukemia can strike at any age geographical and ethnic differences in leukemia rates are also present. Folate's significance in cancer was exclusively tied to antifolate-based cancer treatment. After discovering Antifolate associated based chemotherapy, contrary to the inhibitory action of antifolate on tumors, epidemiologic, clinical, and experimental data show that folate deficiency in normal tissues may predispose them to neoplastic transformation and that folate supplementation may suppress the development of tumors in normal tissues. Epidemiologic research reveals a negative connection between folate levels and numerous cancers, including Leukemia. The exact association between folate status and certain cancers is unknown. Vitamin B control one-carbon metabolism and human health. Folate-mediated one carbon (1C) metabolism supports a of processes that are essential for the cell. Through a number of interlinked reactions happening in the cytosol and mitochondria of the cell, folate metabolism contributes to de novo purine and thymidylate synthesis, to the methionine cycle and redox defense. Targeting the folate metabolism gave rise to modern chemotherapy. The folate and methionine cycles complete the one-carbon route with vitamin B9 or folate. Vitamin B6 regulates carbon cycling. Vitamin B dysregulation alters biochemical signaling and causes several illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]