Small-molecule inhibitors of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase simultaneously suppress lactate and superoxide generation in cancer cells
Fig 9
Schematic presentation of lactate and superoxide functions in cancer development.
The schematic shows the involvement of lactate and superoxide in the development of solid tumors with specific cancer characteristics. While extracellularly elevated lactate levels trigger acidosis in the tumor matrix, which leads to immune response, contributes to chronic inflammation, stimulates angiogenesis, and promotes metastasis formation, superoxide is considered a precursor of hydroxyl radicals, the most potent endogenous mutagen. The involvement of lactate (yellow) and superoxide (blue) in carcinogenesis is illustrated in the scheme previously published in “Hallmarks of Cancer: The Next Generation” [1].