Aerobic glycolysis pathway (null)

Aerobic glycolysis refers to the metabolic pathway in which glucose is converted to pyruvate with the concurrent generation of ATP, even in the presence of sufficient oxygen to support oxidative phosphorylation. Unlike the classic model where glucose is fully oxidized through the citric acid cycle under aerobic conditions, some cells (notably cancer cells and activated immune cells) preferentially metabolize glucose to lactate despite oxygen availability—a phenomenon called the Warburg effect. The pathway involves a sequence of enzymatic reactions (including hexokinase, phosphofructokinase-1, and pyruvate kinase) and is crucial for rapid ATP production, biosynthesis, and cellular proliferation. As a complex pathway rather than a single target, therapeutic strategies aim at inhibiting specific glycolytic enzymes rather than the pathway as a whole.

Other names

Aerobic glycolysisGlycolytic pathway under aerobic conditionsWarburg effect (in cancer contexts)

null