A Comprehensive Biological and Synthetic Perspective on 2-Deoxy-d-Glucose (2-DG), A Sweet Molecule with Therapeutic and Diagnostic Potentials.

Glucose, the primary substrate for ATP synthesis, is catabolized during glycolysis to generate ATP and precursors for the synthesis of other vital biomolecules. Opportunistic viruses and cancer cells often hijack this metabolic machinery to obtain energy and components needed for their replication and proliferation. One way to halt such energy-dependent processes is by interfering with the glycolytic pathway.