Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies, in part due to its profound metabolic adaptability, which underlies drug resistance and therapeutic failure. This study explores the metabolic rewiring associated with resistance to treatment using a systems metabolomics approach. Exposure to the redox-disrupting agent erastin revealed key metabolic vulnerabilities but failed to produce lasting growth suppression. Combinatorial treatments with methotrexate or alpelisib significantly impaired proliferation and triggered marked metabolic shifts. Systems-level analyses identified serine metabolism as a central adaptive pathway in resilient cells. Metabolic tracing and gene expression profiling showed increased de novo serine biosynthesis and uptake, supporting redox homeostasis, biosynthetic activity, and epigenetic regulation. Notably, cells that resumed growth after drug withdrawal exhibited transcriptional reprogramming involving serine-driven pathways, along with elevated expression of genes linked to survival, proliferation, and migration. These findings establish serine metabolism as a functional biomarker of metabolic plasticity and adaptive resilience in pancreatic cancer, suggesting that targeting this adaptive axis may enhance therapeutic efficacy.

Background/Objectives: Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer with intratumor metabolic heterogeneity, which drives its progression and therapy resistance. Natural anthraquinones, such as emodin and aloe-emodin, exhibit anti-cancer properties, but their effects on metabolic plasticity remain unclear. This study evaluated their impact on proliferation and metabolic pathways in heterogenous melanoma human cell lines. Methods: COLO 800, COLO 794, and A375 melanoma cell lines representing distinct metabolic phenotypes were analyzed. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics analyses integrated with Seahorse assays were performed to assess the effects of emodin and aloe-emodin on cell proliferation, mitochondrial function, and redox homeostasis. Glucose tracing using [U-¹³C₆] glucose and metabolic flux analysis (MFA) were carried out to evaluate the glycolysis and TCA cycle dynamics. Results: Emodin and aloe-emodin inhibited proliferation by disrupting glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and energy production across all cell lines. Both compounds impaired glucose metabolism, reduced TCA cycle intermediates, and induced mitochondrial ROS accumulation, causing oxidative stress and redox imbalance. Despite intrinsic metabolic differences, COLO 800 and COLO 794 upregulated antioxidant defenses; A375 enhanced one-carbon metabolism and amino acid pathways to maintain redox balance and nucleotide biosynthesis. Conclusions: Emodin and aloe-emodin can disrupt the metabolic plasticity of melanoma cells by impairing glycolysis, mitochondrial function, and redox homeostasis. Their ability to target metabolic vulnerabilities across diverse phenotypes highlights their therapeutic potential for overcoming resistance mechanisms and advancing melanoma treatment strategies.

Urban aquatic environments are increasingly contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics (MNLPs), posing risks to biodiversity and human health. These environments are ideal breeding sites for larvae of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, a key arbovirus vector. While plastic pollution is a global concern, physiological and metabolic consequences of MNPL-exposure in mosquitoes remain poorly understood. Combining epifluorescence and confocal imaging, mosquito life-history parameter assessment, and high-throughput metabolomic profiling, we investigated the effects of polystyrene MNPLs on Ae. albopictus. We demonstrated that ingested MNPLs cross the larval gut barrier, persist in various tissues, and are retained through development. Exposure did not significantly affect pre-imaginal survival or development time, but reduced larval body weight and caused profound metabolic alterations. Metabolomic analyses revealed downregulation of central carbon metabolism, particularly glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathway, alongside amino acid alterations linked to stress responses. Notably, MNPL-exposure also affected juvenile hormone biosynthesis, suggesting endocrine disruption. This trend was observed in both NP- and MP-exposed larvae, with a greater number of differentially regulated metabolites following MP-treatment. Interestingly, TCA cycle dysregulation was more pronounced in NP-exposed larvae, whereas perturbations in glutathione metabolism, amino sugar metabolism and nitrogen excretion were associated with MP-exposure. These findings highlight the metabolic and physiological consequences of MNPL-exposure, with potential implications for mosquito ecology, vector capacity, and environmental dissemination of plastic contaminants. Given the role of Ae. albopictus in disease transmission and its adaptation to urban habitats, further research is needed to explore the long-term ecological and epidemiological consequences of plastic pollution on mosquito populations.