Anticancer sensitivity and biological aspect of 5-fluorouracil-resistant human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells in three-dimensional culture under high- and low-glucose conditions

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a commonly used anticancer drug for colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, it is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute to 5-FU resistance. We established an acquired 5-FU resistant cell line, HCT116RF10, derived from CRC cells and investigated its energy metabolism as well as the underlying mechanism of 5-FU resistance. We examined the sensitivity to 5-FU and the formation of tumor spheres in parental HCT116 cells and 5-FU-resistant HCT116RF10 cells under 3D culture conditions at high-glucose (HG 25 mM) and low-glucose (LG 5.5 mM) concentrations. These results suggested that the tumor spheres of parental HCT116 cells displayed higher sensitivity to 5-FU under LG conditions than under HG conditions. HCT116RF10 tumor spheres exhibited comparable sensitivity to 5-FU under HG and LG conditions. Furthermore, under HG conditions, there was a marked decrease in extracellular lactate in the HCT116RF10 tumor sphere compared to that in the LG tumor sphere. Similarly, HCT116 tumor spheres showed decreased extracellular lactate levels under LG conditions compared to those grown under HG conditions. Moreover, the evidence reveals that the tumor spheres of HCT116RF10 and HCT116 cells exhibit disparate dependencies on energy metabolism, glycolysis, and mitochondrial respiration under both HG and LG conditions. These results have important clinical implications for overcoming 5-FU resistance and enhancing antitumor treatment strategies.