NADPH plays an important role as an antioxidant by decreasing the reactive oxygen produced during rapid cell proliferation.   It has been shown that attenuation of the PPP would dampen NADPH production in cancer cells, leading to the decrease in macromolecular biosynthesis and rendering the transformed cells that are vulnerable free radical-mediated damage. In this way, the advantage conferred by PKM2 expression would be eliminated. In preclinical studies, drugs such as 6-amino-nicotinamide (6-AN), which inhibits G6P dehydrogenase, the enzyme that initiates the PPP have shown anti-tumorigenic effects in leukemia, glioblastoma and lung cancer cell lines.
Cyclosporine inhibits TOR and is used as an effective immunosuppressant. Mycophenolic acid inhibits of IMPDH and pyrimidine biosynthesis and is clinically used as immunosuppressant. Both agents also display anti-tumor effects in animal studies. Metabolites such as Alanine, Saturated lipids, Glycine, Lactate, Myo-Inositol, Nucleotides, Polyunsaturated fatty acids and Taurine are considered as the potential biomarkers in various studies.