Energy flow

Energy flow is a fundamental biological and physical concept describing the movement and transformation of energy within living systems, rather than a specific molecular target such as a receptor, enzyme, or transporter (NCBI, 2023). In a cellular context, energy flow refers to bioenergetics—the set of metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, that allow cells to convert nutrients into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (Alberts B, et al., 2002). Because it represents a vast and integrated network of biochemical reactions involving hundreds of distinct proteins and metabolites, energy flow lacks the discrete biochemical structure or specific binding site required for classification as a therapeutic target. While specific components within this system, such as ATP synthase or AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), are legitimate drug targets, the overarching process of energy flow itself cannot be targeted by a single pharmacological agent (Berg JM, et al., 2002). Consequently, there are no drugs that interact with energy flow as a standalone entity, and it is considered an incorrect designation for a molecular target in drug discovery.

Other names

BioenergeticsMetabolic fluxEnergy transferBiological energy transformation