Resveratrol decreases breast cancer cell viability and glucose metabolism by inhibiting 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase

Cancer cells are highly dependent on glycolysis to supply the energy and intermediates required for cell growth and proliferation. The enzyme 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase (PFK) is critical for glycolysis, and its activity is directly correlated with cellular glucose consumption. Resveratrol is a potential anti-tumoral drug that decreases glucose metabolism and viability in cancer cells. However, the mechanism involved in resveratrol-mediated anti-tumor activity is not entirely clear. In this work, it is demonstrated that resveratrol decreases viability, glucose consumption and ATP content in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. These effects are directly correlated with PFK inhibition by resveratrol in these cells. Moreover, resveratrol directly inhibits purified PFK, promoting the dissociation of the enzyme from fully active tetramers into less active dimers. This effect is exacerbated by known negative regulators of the enzyme, such as ATP and citrate. On the other hand, positive modulators that stabilize the tetrameric form of the enzyme, such as fructose-2,6-bisphosphate and ADP, prevent the inhibition of PFK activity by resveratrol, an effect not observed with increased pH. In summary, our results provide evidence that resveratrol directly inhibits PFK activity, therefore disrupting glucose metabolism and reducing viability in cancer cells.