Kinase

Cell biology

Biology

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

Citric acid cycle

Glycolysis

Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase

Pyruvate decarboxylation

Pyruvate kinase

Biochemistry

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase

Pyruvate carboxylase

Enzyme

Effector

PKM2

Dihydrolipoyl transacetylase

Chemistry

Bioscience Reports

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) can regulate the catalytic activity of pyruvate decarboxylation oxidation via the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, and it further links glycolysis with the tricarboxylic acid cycle and ATP generation. This review seeks to elucidate the regulation of PDK activity in different species, mainly mammals, and the role of PDK inhibitors in preventing increased blood glucose, reducing injury caused by myocardial ischemia, and inducing apoptosis of tumor cells. Regulations of PDKs expression or activity represent a very promising approach for treatment of metabolic diseases including diabetes, heart failure, and cancer. The future research and development could be more focused on the biochemical understanding of the diseases, which would help understand the cellular energy metabolism and its regulation by pharmacological effectors of PDKs.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs): an overview toward clinical applications