Anaerobic glycolysis

Anaerobic glycolysis is a metabolic pathway that converts glucose into lactate to generate energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the absence of oxygen. While primarily utilized by healthy muscle cells during high-intensity exercise or by mature erythrocytes, this pathway is frequently hijacked by cancer cells to support rapid proliferation, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. This metabolic reprogramming allows cells to survive in hypoxic tumor environments and provides necessary carbon intermediates for the synthesis of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. In a therapeutic context, drugs targeting this pathway aim to inhibit key rate-limiting enzymes such as Hexokinase 2 (HK2), Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), or transporters like GLUT1 and MCT1. By disrupting glycolytic flux, these interventions seek to selectively starve metabolically active tumor cells and reduce the acidification of the microenvironment, which typically promotes tumor invasion and immune evasion.

Other names

Warburg effectLactic acid fermentationGlycolytic pathwayFermentation

Inhibition of individual enzymes (e.g., Hexokinase, LDHA) or transport proteins (e.g., GLUT, Monocarboxylate transporters) to disrupt the overall metabolic flux and reduce cellular ATP levels [2].