nutrients Article Caffeic Acid Targets AMPK Signaling and Regulates Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Anaplerosis while Metformin Downregulates HIF-1α-Induced Glycolytic Enzymes in Human Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma Lines Malgorzata Tyszka-Czochara 1,* ID , Karolina Bukowska-Strakova 2, Kinga A. Kocemba-Pilarczyk 3 and Marcin Majka 4,* ID 1 Department of Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Krakow, Poland 2 Department of Clinical Immunology, Institute of Pediatrics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Wielicka 265, 30-663 Krakow, Poland;
[email protected] 3 Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University-Medical College, Kopernika 7, 31-034 Krakow, Poland;
[email protected] 4 Department of Department of Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Wielicka 258, 30-688 Krakow, Poland * Correspondence:
[email protected] (M.T.-C.);
[email protected] (M.M.); Tel.: +48-(12)6205670 (M.T.-C.); +48-(12)6591593 (M.M.) Received: 22 May 2018; Accepted: 25 June 2018; Published: 28 June 2018 Abstract: The small molecules, natural antioxidant Caffeic Acid (trans-3,4-Dihydroxycinnamic acid CA) and anti-diabetic drug Metformin (Met), activate 50-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and interfere with metabolic reprogramming in human cervical squamous carcinoma cells. Here, to gain more insight into the ability of CA, Met and the combination of both compounds to impair aerobic glycolysis (the “Warburg effect”) and disrupt bioenergetics of cancer cells, we employed the cervical tumor cell lines C-4I and HTB-35/SiHa. In epithelial C-4I cells derived from solid tumors, CA alleviated glutamine anaplerosis by downregulation of Glutaminase (GLS) and Malic Enzyme 1 (ME1), which resulted in the reduction of NADPH levels.