Metabolomic analysis of uterine serous carcinoma with acquired resistance to paclitaxel

INTRODUCTION: Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is more aggressive than other subtypes of endometrial carcinoma and is associated with a poor prognosis. We analyzed the metabolomic profile of USC with acquired resistance to paclitaxel. RESULTS: Glutathione (GSH) concentration in PTX-1 cells was higher than in USPC-1 cells. In addition, GSH concentration in the USPC-1 cells increased after treatment with paclitaxel but was unchanged in PTX-1 cells. Glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and ribose-5-phosphate (R5P) concentrations in PTX-1 cells were higher than those in USPC-1 cells. G6P concentration in the USPC-1 cells was unchanged after treatment with paclitaxel, while it decreased in PTX-1 cells. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that increased GSH and glucose metabolism may be related to acquiring resistance to paclitaxel in USC and thus may be targets for anti-USC therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared metabolic profiles and reactions to paclitaxel in both a wild type USC cell line (USPC-1) and PTX-1, a cell line derived from USPC-1 which acquired paclitaxel resistance, using a capillary electrophoresis CE-MS/MS system.