Ever since its discovery (1924) the Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis) remains an unresolved puzzle: why the aggressive cancer cells "prefer" to use the energetically highly inefficient method of burning the glucose at the cellular level? While in the course of the last 90 years several hypotheses have been suggested, to this date there is no clear explanation of this rather unusual effect. Even though it is commonly assumed that Warburg effect is a consequence of carcinogenesis, yet another hypothesis could be brought up that the cellular switch to aerobic glycolysis may represent the very point in time when a normal cell becomes cancerous. Furthermore, this switch may happen at the point where the fate of pyruvic acid is determined, caused by the inadequate supply of enzymes that promote citric as opposed to lactic acid cycle. Currently, few clinical observations, like low cancer incidence in Type 1 diabetes mellitus and increased cancer incidence in people on high carbohydrate diets might be called upon to support such hypothesis.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4860798 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.7150/jca.14274 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Modelling the Impact of HIF on Metabolism and the Extracellular Matrix: Consequences for Tumour Growth and Invasion.
Bull Math Biol
January 2025
Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC, 38000, Grenoble, France.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex structure involved in many biological processes with collagen being the most abundant protein. Density of collagen fibers in the matrix is a factor influencing cell motility and migration speed. In cancer, this affects the ability of cells to migrate and invade distant tissues which is relevant for designing new therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUbiquitin-specific protease 7 maintains c-Myc stability to support pancreatic cancer glycolysis and tumor growth.
J Transl Med
December 2024
Department of Pancreatic surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China.
Background: The typical pathological feature of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a significant increase in stromal reaction, leading to a hypoxic and poorly vascularized tumor microenvironment. Tumor cells undergo metabolic reprogramming, such as the Warburg effect, yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
Methods: Interference and overexpression experiments were conducted to analyze the in vivo and in vitro effects of USP7 on the growth and glycolysis of tumor cells.
Exploring the Interplay between the Warburg Effect and Glucolipotoxicity in Cancer Development: A Novel Perspective on Cancer Etiology.
Adv Pharm Bull
October 2024
The Public Health Department, Riyadh First Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia.
The Warburg effect, first observed by Otto Warburg in the 1920s, delineates a metabolic phenomenon in which cancer cells exhibit heightened glucose uptake and lactate production, even under normoxic conditions. This metabolic shift towards glycolysis, despite the presence of oxygen, fuels the energy demands of rapidly proliferating cancer cells. Dysregulated glucose metabolism, characterized by the overexpression of glucose transporters and the redirection of metabolic pathways towards glycolysis, lies at the crux of this metabolic reprogramming.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHighland Barley Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Liver Injury Through the IRS2/PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway in Rats.
Nutrients
October 2024
Beijing Key Laboratory of the Innovative Development of Functional Staple and the Nutritional Intervention for Chronic Disease, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Department of Health Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China.
Highland barley (HB) consumption offers numerous health benefits; however, its impact on glycolipid metabolism abnormalities induced by a high-fat diet remains unclear. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of HB in the context of obesity; Rats were fed either a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity or a standard diet (SD) for six weeks. The rats in the HFD group were randomly assigned into five groups: HFD+HFD, HFD+SD, and low (30%), medium (45%), and high (60%) doses of the HB diet for an additional ten weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHow Does Cancer Occur? How Should It Be Treated? Treatment from the Perspective of Alkalization Therapy Based on Science-Based Medicine.
Biomedicines
September 2024
Japanese Society on Inflammation and Metabolism in Cancer, 119 Nishioshikouji-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0842, Japan.
This review article investigates the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer progression, emphasizing the metabolic shifts that promote tumor growth. Mitochondria are crucial for cellular energy production, but they also play a significant role in cancer progression by promoting glycolysis even under oxygen-rich conditions, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. This metabolic reprogramming enables cancer cells to maintain an alkaline internal pH and an acidic external environment, which are critical for their proliferation and survival in hypoxic conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!