Queueing theory model of pentose phosphate pathway

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 4601
• Main Authors: Kloska, Sylwester M., Pałczyński, Krzysztof, Marciniak, Tomasz, Talaśka, Tomasz, Miller, Marissa, Wysocki, Beata J., Davis, Paul, Wysocki, Tadeusz A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17.03.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/114; 631/114/1305; 631/114/2390; 631/114/2391; 631/114/2397; 631/114/2398; 631/114/2415; 631/1647/320; 631/1647/767; 631/45; 631/45/173; 631/45/320; 631/45/607; 631/45/72; 631/553; 631/553/2393; 631/553/2695; 631/553/2709; 631/553/2710; 631/553/2712; 631/553/2713; 631/553/318; 631/80; 631/80/83; Amino acids; Animals; Computer applications; Humanities and Social Sciences; Laboratory animals; Laboratory tests; Metabolic pathways; Metabolism; Metabolites; multidisciplinary; NADP - metabolism; Nucleotides; Oxidative Stress; Pentose phosphate pathway; Pentose Phosphate Pathway - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Tumor cells
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08463-y

Due to its role in maintaining the proper functioning of the cell, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is one of the most important metabolic pathways. It is responsible for regulating the concentration of simple sugars and provides precursors for the synthesis of amino acids and nucleotides. In addition, it plays a critical role in maintaining an adequate level of NADPH, which is necessary for the cell to fight oxidative stress. These reasons prompted the authors to develop a computational model, based on queueing theory, capable of simulating changes in PPP metabolites’ concentrations. The model has been validated with empirical data from tumor cells. The obtained results prove the stability and accuracy of the model. By applying queueing theory, this model can be further expanded to include successive metabolic pathways. The use of the model may accelerate research on new drugs, reduce drug costs, and reduce the reliance on laboratory animals necessary for this type of research on which new methods are tested.