ArticleBiochemistry2018
Gabapentin Can Suppress Cell Proliferation Independent of the Cytosolic Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transferase 1 (BCAT1).
Article in Biochemistry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- BCAA catabolism mediates POU2AF1 propionylation to enhance T-ALL development.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Metabolic reprogramming and immunosenescence: a new sight for glioma therapy.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- BCAAs and related metabolic enzymes: partners in crime driving tumor development.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Research advances in branched-chain amino acid metabolism in tumors.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2025Review
- A Review on Branched-Chain Amino Acid Aminotransferase (BCAT) Inhibitors: Current Status, Challenges and Perspectives.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Metabolic Reprogramming in Glioblastoma Multiforme: A Review of Pathways and Therapeutic Targets.Cells · 2024Review
- Enhanced BCAT1 activity and BCAA metabolism promotes RhoC activity in cancer progression.Nature metabolism · 2023Article
- Research progress on branched-chain amino acid aminotransferases.Frontiers in genetics · 2023Review
- The BCAT1 CXXC Motif Provides Protection against ROS in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cells.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- The mechanism of branched-chain amino acid transferases in different diseases: Research progress and future prospects.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Review
- Amino acid metabolism as a therapeutic target in cancer: a review.Amino acids · 2021Review
- Tumour-reprogrammed stromal BCAT1 fuels branched-chain ketoacid dependency in stromal-rich PDAC tumours.Nature metabolism · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The metabolism of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) has recently been implicated in the growth of several cancer cell types. Gabapentin, a synthetic amino acid, is commonly used in high concentrations in this context to inhibit the cytosolic branched-chain amino acid transferase (BCAT1) enzyme. Here, we report that 10 mM gabapentin reduces the growth of HCT116 cells, which have an active branched-chain amino acid transferase but express very low levels of BCAT1, and presumably rely on the mitochondrial BCAT2 enzyme. Gabapentin did not affect transamination of BCAA to branched-chain keto acids (BCKA) in HCT116 cells, nor the reverse formation of BCAA from BCKA, indicating that the branched-chain amino acid transaminase is not inhibited. Moreover, the growth-inhibitory effect of gabapentin could not be rescued by supplementation with BCKA, and this was not due to the lack of uptake of BCKA, indicating that other effects of gabapentin are important. An untargeted LC-MS analysis of gabapentin-treated cells revealed a marked depletion of branched-chain carnitines. These results demonstrate that gabapentin at high concentrations can inhibit cell proliferation without affecting BCAT1 and may affect mitochondrial BCKA catabolism.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.