Figure 2.

Schematic representation of anaerobic glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS/respiration), and aerobic glycolysis/Warburg effect. (a) Anaerobic glycolysis in anucleated and organelle-free human and mouse erythrocytes and conversion of glucose to lactate. Most differentiated cells convert glucose to pyruvate via glycolysis and subsequently to CO₂ via TCA and OXPHOS, with marginal lactate production. (b) Proliferating cells prefer aerobic glycolysis, i.e. marginal amount of pyruvate is dispatched to mitochondrion and simultaneously high amounts of lactate are generated.