Could glutamine supplementation enhance Herceptin therapy?

[heblaj01]

Glutamine alone has not been shown to be an effective anticancer supplement in the past few humans trials in spite of numerous positive results in animal & cell studies. Its beneficial effects in humans have been so far shown to be limited to reducing some side effects of chemo.
However, this more recent animal study describes glutamine effects on PTEN, AKT & PI3k (in link to older study) among other targets, which may imply that glutamine could make Herceptin more effective &/or better able to overcome resistance.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16898871&query_hl=28&itool=pubmed_docsum
Modulation of p53 and c-myc in DMBA-induced mammary tumors by oral glutamine. for her2
Nutr Cancer. 2006;54(2):263-73.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=14621121
Oral glutamine (AES-14) supplementation inhibits PI-3k/Akt signaling in experimental breast cancer.
JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2003 Nov-Dec;27(6):404-10

However, because glutamine has also been shown to be involved in the induction/suppression of gluthiatone which plays an important role in both normal & cancerous cells of patients, the translation from experiments to treatment may not be straightforward.

Among some of the reduced side effects of chemo achieved by glutamine:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17168431&query_hl=28&itool=pubmed_docsum
Oral glutamine ameliorates chemotherapy-induced changes of intestinal permeability and does not interfere with the antitumor effect of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer: a prospective randomized trial.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15997923&query_hl=28&itool=pubmed_docsum Glutamine as a neuroprotective agent in high-dose paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy: a clinical and electrophysiologic study.
Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2005 Jun;17(4):271-6.

Note:
Joy has reported suppression by glutamine of chemo induced bone pain in this post:
http://www.her2support.org/vbulletin...ight=glutamine