Amino Acid Degrading Enzymes and Their Application in Cancer Therapy.

Amino acids are essential components in various biochemical pathways. The deprivation of certain amino acids is an antimetabolite strategy for the treatment of amino acid-dependent cancers which exploits the compromised metabolism of malignant cells. This review summarizes recent progress in the relationship between amino acids metabolism and cancer therapy, with a particular focus on L-asparagine, L-methionine, L-arginine and L-lysine degrading enzymes and their formulations, which have been successfully used in the treatment of several types of cancer.