Mini-review on Glycolysis and Cancer

Glycolysis is a universal pathway in the living cells. The complete pathway of glycolysis was elucidated in 1940. This pathway is often referred to as Embden–Meyerhof pathway in honor of the two biochemists that made a major contribution to the knowledge of glycolysis. The objective of the study was to review the published literature on glycolysis and relation to cancer. The material for this review was taken mostly from up-to-date biochemistry textbooks and electronic journals. To collect publications, PubMed and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews were used. Some other relevant references were collected from personal database of papers on glycolysis and cancer. Several glycolytic inhibitors are currently in preclinical and clinical development. Inhibition of glycolysis in cancer cells is a novel strategy to overcome drug resistance associated with mitochondrial respiratory defect and hypoxia. This article is an important topic to be considered by cancer researchers and those who treat cancers.