Fig. 1

The essential bioenergetic metabolic processes. Cells generate cellular energy ATP via glycolysis and TCA cycle coupled with OXPHOS. Although cancer cells utilize a high amount of glucose, as Warburg originally observed, recent experimental data have shown that glucose is oxidized in lung tumors of NSCLC patients [4]. Additionally, cells are able to use a variety of bioenergetic substrates, including glucose, amino acids, acetate, fatty acids, glutamine, and ketone bodies to support cell growth. The numbers of ATP, GTP, NADH, FADH₂ generated when one molecule of glucose is consumed following glycolysis, TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation are also shown. Synthesis or utilization of ATP/ADP are shown in red, while NAD⁺/NADH are shown in blue, and GTP/GDP are shown in pink. G6P glucose-6-phosphate, F6P fructose-6-phosphate, GADP glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate, OAA oxaloacetate, 3PG 3-phosphoglycerate, PEP phosphoenolpyruvate, αKG α-ketoglutarate, OXPHOS oxidative phosphorylation, GAPDH glyceraldehydes 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, PA phosphatidic acid, TAG triacylglycerol, PL phospholipid