China Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery ›› 2021, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (1): 70-75.doi: 10.19438/j.cjoms.2021.01.014

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The effect of cancer-associated fibroblast in glucose metabolism of tumor cells

LI Ming-yu, MA Hai-long, YANG Xi, ZHANG Zhi-yuan   

  1. Department of Oromaxillofacial Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology & Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology; Research Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Shanghai 200011, China
  • Received:2020-02-20 Revised:2020-05-15 Online:2021-01-20 Published:2021-02-19

Abstract: ] Warburg effect described a phenomenon that tumor cells undergoing aerobic glycolysis even with enough oxygen, generating lactic acid and little ATP. Although it had a low efficiency of energy production, lactic acid and other products may work as intermediates to modify tumor microenvironment and promote tumor progression. Recently, it's reported that fibroblasts, an important part of tumor stroma, were endowed with cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) phenotype such as undergoing aerobic glycolysis, mitophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction. CAF provided lactic acid and other intermediates as building blocks for macromolecule anabolism, which could facilitate tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis and drug resistance. On the contrary, tumor cells obtained activated oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial metabolism, which was named as "reverse Warburg effect". The two theory unveiled a metabolic flexibility and cross-talk among tumor cells and acidic tumor microenvironment, which facilitates tumor progression.

Key words: Cancer-associated fibroblast, Glycolysis, Warburg effect, Tumor microenvironment

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