Abstract

Inborn Metabolism Errors and Cancer: Fructose and Mannose

Author(s): Amelia Williams

A significant phase in the cultural transition from nomadism to sedentism was the cultivation of grains to provide a steady source of carbohydrates. Humans have evolved improved glucose consumption as the primary carbon source for catabolic and anabolic pathways, as well as long-term storage of glucose as glycogen. Glucose, the principal dietary monosaccharide with six carbon atoms (hexose), is an essential component of a healthy diet, and as a result, the study of glucose metabolism has received a lot of attention. Dysregulations of glucose metabolism—specifically, perturbations in central carbon metabolism (glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle)—have been identified as key steps not only in metabolic disorders (e.g., obesity, insulin intolerance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) but also in cancer progression through a variety of mechanisms and interactions.