PKM2 Cancer Research Results

PKM2, Pyruvate Kinase, Muscle 2: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type: enzyme
PKM2 (Pyruvate Kinase, Muscle 2) is an enzyme that plays a crucial role in glycolysis, the process by which cells convert glucose into energy. PKM2 is a key regulatory enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, and it is primarily expressed in various tissues, including muscle, brain, and cancer cells.
-C-myc is a common oncogene that enhances aerobic glycolysis in the cancer cells by transcriptionally activating GLUT1, HK2, PKM2 and LDH-A
-PKM2 has been shown to be overexpressed in many types of tumors, including breast, lung, and colon cancer. This overexpression may contribute to the development and progression of cancer by promoting glycolysis and energy production in cancer cells.
-inhibition of PKM2 may cause ATP depletion and inhibiting glycolysis.
-PK exists in four isoforms: PKM1, PKM2, PKR, and PKL
-PKM2 plays a role in the regulation of glucose metabolism in diabetes.
-PKM2 is involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy.
– Pyruvate kinase catalyzes the final, rate-limiting step of glycolysis, converting phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to pyruvate with the production of ATP.
– The PKM2 isoform is uniquely regulated and can exist in both highly active tetrameric and less active dimeric forms.
– Cancer cells often favor the dimeric form of PKM2 to slow pyruvate production, thereby accumulating upstream glycolytic intermediates that can be diverted into anabolic pathways to support cell growth and proliferation.
– Under low oxygen conditions, cancer cells rely on altered metabolic pathways in which PKM2 is a key player. – The shift to aerobic glycolysis (Warburg effect) orchestrated in part by PKM2 helps tumor cells survive and grow in hypoxic conditions.

– Elevated expression of PKM2 is frequently observed in many cancer types, including lung, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.
– High levels of PKM2 are often correlated with enhanced tumor aggressiveness, poor differentiation, and advanced clinical stage.

PKM2 in carcinogenesis and oncotherapy

Inhibitors of PKM2:
-Shikonin, Resveratrol, Baicalein, EGCG, Apigenin, Curcumin, Ursolic Acid, Citrate (best known as an allosteric inhibitor of phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1), a key rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis) potential to directly inhibit or modulate PKM2 is less well established

Full List of PKM2 inhibitors from Database
-key connected observations: Glycolysis↓, lactateProd↓, ROS↑ in cancer cell, while some result for opposite effect on normal cells.
Tumor pyruvate kinase M2 modulators

Flavonoids effect on PKM2
Compounds name IC50/AC50uM Effect
Flavonols
1. Fisetin 0.90uM Inhibition
2. Rutin 7.80uM Inhibition
3. Galangin 8.27uM Inhibition
4. Quercetin 9.24uM Inhibition
5. Kaempferol 9.88uM Inhibition
6. Morin hydrate 37.20uM Inhibition
7. Myricetin 0.51uM Activation
8. Quercetin 3-b- D-glucoside 1.34uM Activation
9. Quercetin 3-D -galactoside 27-107uM Ineffective
Flavanons
10. Neoeriocitrin 0.65uM Inhibition
11. Neohesperidin 14.20uM Inhibition
12. Naringin 16.60uM Inhibition
13. Hesperidin 17.30uM Inhibition
14. Hesperitin 29.10uM Inhibition
15. Naringenin 70.80uM Activation
Flavanonols
16. (-)-Catechin gallateuM 0.85 Inhibition
17. (±)-Taxifolin 1.16uM Inhibition
18. (-)-Epicatechin 1.33uM Inhibition
19. (+)-Gallocatechin 4-16uM Ineffective
Phenolic acids
20. Ferulic 11.4uM Inhibition
21. Syringic and 13.8uM Inhibition
22. Caffeic acid 36.3uM Inhibition
23. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid 78.7uM Inhibition
24. Gallic acid 332.6uM Inhibition
25. Shikimic acid 990uM Inhibition
26. p-Coumaric acid 22.2uM Activation
27. Sinapinic acids 26.2uM Activation
28. Vanillic 607.9uM Activation


PSA, Psoriasis: Click to Expand ⟱
Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease.
This section mainly deals with PsA which is psoriatic arthritis

PsA evidence based approach

Rank Approach Evidence Mechanism / Rationale Notes
1 Weight loss if overweight/obese Best direct evidence in PsA Reduces metabolic inflammation, adipokine burden, and joint inflammatory load; may improve treatment response. Highest-yield natural strategy when excess weight is present.
2 Regular exercise / physical activity Good supportive evidence Improves pain, stiffness, function, fatigue, muscle support, and cardiometabolic health. Strong adjunct for joint symptoms and overall health.
3 Mediterranean-style diet / antioxidant-rich whole-food diet Moderate evidence May reduce systemic inflammatory tone; provides polyphenols, fiber, unsaturated fats, and better metabolic support. Best antioxidant strategy is diet pattern rather than antioxidant pills.
4 Intermittent fasting / time-restricted eating Early limited evidence May improve inflammatory signaling and metabolic regulation; possible benefit for CRP, enthesitis, and disease activity. Promising but still exploratory.
5 Omega-3 (fish / fish oil) Mixed evidence Shifts eicosanoids toward less inflammatory profiles and may modestly reduce inflammatory tone. Reasonable adjunct, but not a top-tier PsA joint intervention.
6 Vitamin D Weak PsA-specific treatment evidence More relevant for deficiency correction, bone support, and immune modulation than for direct joint control. Most relevant when levels are low.

PsA pathways to modulate

Rank Pathway / Axis Why It Matters in PsA Joints Helpful Modulation Support Level
1 IL-23 → Th17/Tc17 → IL-17A/F Core inflammatory axis in psoriatic arthritis; active in synovium, enthesis, and related tissues. Reduce excessive IL-23 / IL-17 signaling and downstream cytokine/chemokine output. Very high
2 TNF-α / NF-κB inflammatory axis Major validated cytokine pathway driving inflammation, tissue injury, and amplification of disease activity. Reduce TNF / NF-κB-driven inflammatory signaling and matrix damage. Very high
3 JAK / STAT3 signaling Supports cytokine signaling relevant to synovial and entheseal inflammation. Dampen excessive JAK / STAT3 inflammatory activity. High
4 Myeloid / inflammasome amplification (IL-1β, IL-6, GM-CSF) Amplifies synovitis, pain, recruitment of inflammatory cells, and osteoclastogenic signaling. Reduce IL-1β, IL-6, and GM-CSF inflammatory amplification. High
5 RANKL / M-CSF / osteoclastogenesis Important for bone erosions and osteoclast-mediated damage. Reduce osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption pressure. High
6 DKK1 / Wnt / BMP bone-remodeling balance PsA involves both erosions and abnormal new bone formation. Rebalance remodeling rather than simply suppress all bone formation. Moderate to high
7 COX-2 / 5-LOX / eicosanoid signaling Contributes to inflammatory pain, swelling, and leukocyte recruitment. Reduce excess prostaglandin and leukotriene inflammatory tone. Moderate
8 KEAP1-NRF2 / oxidative stress-redox balance Oxidative imbalance may reinforce inflammatory signaling and tissue injury. Improve antioxidant defense and redox resilience. Moderate
9 Obesity / adipokine / metabolic inflammation axis Obesity is linked to worse disease activity and poorer response. Reduce metabolic inflammation and adverse adipokine signaling. Moderate
10 Gut microbiome / barrier / immune-metabolite axis Gut dysbiosis and barrier changes may influence systemic immune activation. Support gut barrier function and more favorable immune-metabolic signaling. Moderate

Natural products that might help PsA — mechanistic HTML table

Natural Product / Class Main PsA-Relevant Pathways Mechanistic Rationale Direct PsA Joint Evidence Practical Read
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) IL-17-related signaling; TNF/NF-κB tone; eicosanoids / resolution pathways May shift lipid mediators toward less inflammatory profiles and reduce inflammatory signaling. Mixed / weak Most practical food/supplement adjunct, but not a strong standalone PsA joint therapy.
Curcumin / Turmeric NF-κB; JAK/STAT3; MAPK; IL-17 / IFN-γ; redox signaling Broad anti-inflammatory and signaling-modulating effects relevant to psoriatic disease biology. Very limited direct evidence Reasonable mechanistic adjunct; stronger biology than clinical PsA proof.
Boswellia / Boswellic acids 5-LOX; NF-κB; COX-2; leukotrienes Notable leukotriene / 5-LOX angle with broader anti-inflammatory effects. No strong direct PsA joint trials Plausible adjunct, especially for eicosanoid-driven inflammation.
Ginger NF-κB; COX / LOX; inflammatory pain pathways Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions with arthritis-relevant pathway effects. Indirect only Plausible low-to-moderate adjunct; evidence is not PsA-specific.
EGCG / Green tea catechins IL-17 / IL-23-related inflammation; oxidative stress; keratinocyte hyperproliferation Immune-regulatory and antioxidant effects; mainly supported in psoriasis/preclinical models. Mostly psoriasis / preclinical Interesting adjunct, but not proven for PsA joints.
Sulforaphane KEAP1-NRF2; oxidative stress; TH17-related inflammation; autoimmune signaling Strong redox / NRF2 rationale with anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical models. Preclinical / indirect Good mechanistic candidate for the NRF2-redox tier.
Quercetin NF-κB; PI3K/AKT/GLUT1; inflammatory cell signaling Multi-target anti-inflammatory effects with arthritis relevance. Weak direct PsA evidence Mechanistically attractive, clinically still speculative for PsA.
Resveratrol NF-κB; oxidative stress; inflammatory mediators; SIRT1/AMPK-linked effects May reduce inflammatory signaling and support metabolic/redox regulation. Very limited for PsA Interesting but not near the top for real-world PsA use.
Piperlongumine NLRP3 inflammasome; ROS-sensitive inflammatory signaling; FLS proliferation/migration; MMPs Research-stage anti-inflammatory candidate with RA/psoriasis-model relevance. Research-stage only Experimental; not a practical PsA supplement at present.
Shikonin JAK/STAT; TNF-driven synoviocyte signaling; macrophage polarization; psoriasis inflammation Biologically interesting for synovitis and immune-cell signaling. Research-stage only Experimental; mainly of mechanistic interest.


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
2364- SK,    Pyruvate Kinase M2 Mediates Glycolysis Contributes to Psoriasis by Promoting Keratinocyte Proliferation
- in-vivo, PSA, NA
eff↑, lactateProd↓, PKM2↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 1 of 1

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 1

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

lactateProd↓, 1,   PKM2↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

eff↑, 1,  
Total Targets: 3

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Total Targets: 0

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: PKM2, Pyruvate Kinase, Muscle 2
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells

Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:74  Cells:%  prod#:%  Target#:772  State#:%  Dir#:1
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

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