Figure 1.

The rewiring of glucose metabolism in HCC cells. Glycolysis is abnormally active in HCC cells, even in a well-oxygenated environment. This reprogrammed metabolic pattern is manifested not only by increased glucose uptake, but also by increased lactate production. Enhanced aerobic glycolysis provides more carbon intermediates for the biosynthesis of nucleotides (NTPs), amino acids (AAs), and fatty acids (FAs), promoting anabolism in HCC cells. Purple lines represent metabolism-targeted drugs in clinical studies.