A New Classification Method of Metastatic Cancers Using a (1)H-NMR-Based Approach: A Study Case of Melanoma, Breast, and Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

In this study, metastatic melanoma, breast, and prostate cancer cell lines were analyzed using a (1)H-NMR-based approach in order to investigate common features and differences of aggressive cancers metabolomes. For that purpose, (1)H-NMR spectra of both cellular extracts and culture media were combined with multivariate data analysis, bringing to light no less than 20 discriminant metabolites able to separate the metastatic metabolomes. The supervised approach succeeded in classifying the metastatic cell lines depending on their glucose metabolism, more glycolysis-oriented in the BRAF proto-oncogene mutated cell lines compared to the others. Other adaptive metabolic features also contributed to the classification, such as the increased total choline content (tCho), UDP-GlcNAc detection, and various changes in the glucose-related metabolites tree, giving additional information about the metastatic metabolome status and direction. Finally, common metabolic features detected via (1)H-NMR in the studied cancer cell lines are discussed, identifying the glycolytic pathway, Kennedy’s pathway, and the glutaminolysis as potential and common targets in metastasis, opening up new avenues to cure cancer.