Background and aim: The high rate of tumor growth results in an increased need for amino acids. As solute carriers (SLC) transporters are capable of transporting different amino acids, cancer may develop as a result of these transporters' over-expression due to their complex formation with other biological molecules. Therefore, this review investigated the role of SLC transporters in the progression of cancer.
Methods: We retrieved data from Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE regarding the influence of human SLCs on the development of cancer. Articles published in English before August 2024 were included in the study.
Results: The overexpression of SLCs is strongly related to tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis in a number of cancer types including thyroid, pancreatic, lung, hepatocellular, and colon cancers. They are crucial for the stimulation of several biological signaling pathways, particularly mTOR kinase activity, which starts a signaling cascade, protein synthesis, cell growth, and proliferation, and inhibits apoptosis of cancerous cells. Furthermore, they contribute to the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling, which has an impact on the growth, invasion, and death of cancer cells. Thus, SLC transporters become a potential therapeutic target that plays a crucial role in drug resistance, tumor microenvironment regulation, and modulation of immune response.
Conclusion: The review recognized the crucial role of SLC transporters in different types of cancer progression. Therefore, to confirm our findings, a case-control study is required to investigate the role of amino acid transporters in cancer development.
Keywords: amino acid transporters; cancer; solute carriers (SLC); tumor.
© 2025 The Author(s). Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.