Polyamines and Dietary Amino Acid Restriction: Impact in Cancer Prevention or Treatment

Polyamines are molecules synthesized by amino acid decarboxylation and play an important role in several physiological and biochemical processes of living organisms. The dietary intake of polyamines revealed that its intake showed an alternative by maintaining the health and controlling various diseases and can be used for the treatment of various health disorders. Polyamines production begins with the intake of amino acids (arginine, lysine and methionine) through food. The controlled diet of polyamines can also reduce the growth of tumor cells in cancer patients. Glycine, glutamine and aspartate serve as carbon and nitrogen donors for purine biosynthesis. Arginine and methionine produce polyamines that alter gene expression by modulating global chromatin structure and cancer cell proliferation. Amino acid-degrading enzymes such as arginine and asparagine have been shown to exert antitumor effects in preclinical and clinical setting. Use of amino acids that restrict the synthesis of polyamines mainly, it is full therapeutic potential in the fight against cancer. The principal focus of this review is the specific relationship between polyamines, amino acids and cancer metabolism.