Overview of glutamine metabolism in stromal components of the tumor microenvironment and potential anti-tumor therapies

As a critical metabolite in the tumor microenvironment, glutamine plays a crucial role in tumor progression, and its dual effects on promoting and inhibiting tumors have garnered increasing attention in recent years. Glutamine metabolism in tumor cells has been extensively studied; however, there is currently a lack of a comprehensive description of how it interacts with tumor stromal components in the tumor microenvironment. This review focuses on the interaction of glutamine metabolism and a range of tumor stromal components, such as macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, fibroblasts, collagen, and blood vessels in the tumor microenvironment, as well as a summary of current prospective anti-tumor therapeutics targeting glutamine metabolism. Furthermore, this study discusses the shortcomings of mechanism research, metabolic complexity, and metabolic therapy for glutamine metabolism and proposes future research directions that are expected to provide a theoretical foundation for clinical cancer treatment strategies.