Glucose and Adenosine triphosphate

Glucose and Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are two distinct and essential molecules central to cellular energy homeostasis. Glucose (PubChem CID 5793) is a primary hexose sugar that serves as a major energy source for most organisms, while ATP (PubChem CID 5957) is the primary energy currency of the cell (Berg et al., Biochemistry, 2002). The relationship between the two is fundamental to glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, where glucose is catabolized to generate ATP (StatPearls, Glycolysis, 2023). In the context of pharmacology, 'Glucose and ATP' do not constitute a single therapeutic target; rather, they are substrates, products, or regulators of various enzymes (e.g., Hexokinase), transporters (e.g., GLUT1), and ion channels (e.g., KATP channels) (PubMed, PMC2642996). For instance, Hexokinase catalyzes the first step of glucose metabolism by using ATP to phosphorylate glucose. Dysregulation of glucose levels or ATP production is a hallmark of metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus and various mitochondrial encephalomyopathies (NIH, NIDDK, 2023). Therapeutic interventions often aim to restore the balance of these molecules, such as insulin promoting glucose uptake or metformin influencing the AMP/ATP ratio to activate AMPK (StatPearls, Metformin, 2023). Consequently, while they are not targets themselves, they represent the most critical metabolic endpoints in the treatment of metabolic disease.

Other names

Glucose and ATPD-Glucose and ATPBlood sugar and Adenosine triphosphateGlc and ATP

Not applicable as a single target. Drugs typically modulate the pathways involving these metabolites; for example, insulin promotes glucose uptake via GLUT4 translocation (StatPearls, Insulin, 2023), while sulfonylureas close ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels by mimicking the effect of a high ATP/ADP ratio to stimulate insulin secretion (StatPearls, Sulfonylureas, 2023). Metformin indirectly affects these levels by inhibiting mitochondrial Complex I, thereby increasing the AMP/ATP ratio to activate AMPK (StatPearls, Metformin, 2023).