Treatment of K562 Cells with ABL Kinase Inhibitors Reveals Differential Metabolic Profiles

ABL kinase inhibitors have transformed the clinical management of chronic myelogenous leukemia; yet, the metabolic consequences of their use remain largely unexplored. In the current study, using K562 cell lines, the metabolic impact of five ABL kinase inhibitors, such as imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, ponatinib, and axitinib, was studied. Comparative metabolic profiling revealed both common and inhibitor-specific metabolic alterations. Pathway enrichment analysis identified significant downregulation in starch and sucrose metabolism, nucleotide sugar metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism. These results offered insights to guide the development of treatment strategies for overcoming the drug resistance in chronic myelogenous leukemia as well as managing the associated toxicities.