Anaplerotic nutrient stress drives synergy of angiogenesis inhibitors with therapeutics targeting tumor metabolism.

Tumor angiogenesis is a cancer hallmark, and its therapeutic inhibition has provided meaningful, albeit limited, clinical benefit. While anti-angiogenesis inhibitors deprive the tumor of oxygen and essential nutrients, cancer cells activate metabolic adaptations to diminish therapeutic response. Despite these adaptations, angiogenesis inhibition incurs extensive metabolic stress, prompting us to consider such metabolic stress as an induced vulnerability to therapies targeting cancer metabolism. Metabolomic profiling of angiogenesis-inhibited intracranial xenografts showed universal decrease in tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, corroborating a state of anaplerotic nutrient deficit or stress. Accordingly, we show strong synergy between angiogenesis inhibitors (Avastin, Tivozanib) and inhibitors of glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation through exacerbation of anaplerotic nutrient stress in intracranial orthotopic xenografted gliomas. Our findings were recapitulated in GBM xenografts that do not have genetically predisposed metabolic vulnerabilities at baseline. Thus, our findings cement the central importance of the tricarboxylic acid cycle as the nexus of metabolic vulnerabilities and suggest clinical path hypothesis combining angiogenesis inhibitors with pharmacological cancer interventions targeting tumor metabolism for GBM tumors.
Competing Interests: Competing Interests We declare no competing financial interests. F.L.M. is inventor on a patent covering the concept of targeting ENO1-deleted tumors with inhibitors of ENO2 (US patent 9,452,182 B2) and inventor on a patent application describing the synthesis and utility of novel pro-drug inhibitors of enolase US 62/797,315 (Filed Jan 27, 2019). F.L.M. and Y-H.L. are inventors on a patent application for the use of enolase inhibitors for the treatment of ENO1-deleted tumors (US patent 10,363,261 B2).