Figure 1.

A comparison of the major metabolic pathways in (A) normal and (B) cancer cells. In normal cells (A), glucose enters via GLUT transporters, fueling glycolysis and predominantly generating ATP through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in the mitochondria. Fatty acid oxidation and glutaminolysis also contribute to ATP production and lipid synthesis. Pathways with relatively low activity, such as lactate production, are indicated by dashed lines. In contrast, cancer cells (B) demonstrate increased glucose uptake via upregulated GLUT transporters, resulting in enhanced glycolysis and the Warburg effect, where pyruvate is converted to lactate even in the presence of oxygen. This metabolic reprogramming supports rapid ATP production and proliferation. Despite the dominance of the Warburg effect, minimal TCA cycle activity and OXPHOS are retained, as indicated by the dashed lines. Abbreviations: glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1); Monocarboxylate Transporter (MCT); adenosine triphosphate (ATP); mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR); α-Ketoglutarate (α-KG); branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs); Solute Carrier Family 7 Member 5 (SLC7A5); Solute Carrier Family 1 Member 5 (SLC1A5); Fatty Acid Transport Protein (FATP); Plasma Membrane Fatty Acid-Binding Protein (FABPpm).