Mechanism of Warburg Effect and Its Effect on Tumor Metastasis

Cancer cells exhibit altered glucose metabolism characterized by a preference for aerobic glycolysis even when the oxygen content is normal, a phenomenon termed “Warburg effect”. However the definite molecular mechanisms of Warburg effect remains unclear, recent works indicated that it might be related to the abnormal activity of the oncogene and tumor suppressor genes, also the change of tumor microenvironment, the abnormal expression of glucose metabolic enzyme and so on. Warburg effect has a relationship with tumor progression and provide suitable conditions for tumor metastasis. This review will summarizes the mechanism of Warburg effect and its effect on tumor metastasis. DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2015.03.09