The Warburg effect and its cancer therapeutic implications.
Increased aerobic glycolysis in cancer, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect, has been observed in various tumor cells and represents a major biochemical alteration associated with malignant transformation. Although the exact molecular mechanisms underlying this metabolic change remain to be elucidated, the profound biochemical alteration in cancer cell energy metabolism provides exciting opportunities for the development of therapeutic strategies to preferentially kill cancer cells by targeting the glycolytic pathway. Several small molecules capable of inhibiting glycolysis in experimental systems have been shown to have promising anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. This review article provides a brief summary of our current understanding of the Warburg effect, the underlying mechanisms, and its influence on the development of therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.
Chen
Zhao
Z
Department of Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 7435 Fannin Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Lu
Weiqin
W
Garcia-Prieto
Celia
C
Huang
Peng
P
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000378:metabolism; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006019:Glycolysis; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial