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Glucose Metabolism in Multicellular Spheroids, ATP Production and Effects of Acidity

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Book cover New Challenges for Cancer Systems Biomedicine

Part of the book series: SIMAI Springer Series ((SEMA SIMAI))

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Abstract

In hypoxic conditions cells switch to the anaerobic pathway of glucose metabolism. As a byproduct lactate is produced together with H+, lowering pH. Acidity beyond some threshold may cause cell death. Moreover, anaerobic metabolism is far less efficient in terms of ATP production, and a scarce availability of glucose may result in insufficient ATP production rate to sustain the cell life. In this paper first of all we review some results concerning the structure of multicellular tumor spheroids in which the onset of a necrotic core is caused by the drop of ATP production rate below the viability threshold. Then we shortly discuss the effects of combined insufficient ATP production rate and excess of acidity on both vascular and avascular tumors. The last part of the paper is devoted to the phenomenon of acid mediated tumor invasion, which exploits the different resistance to acidity of tumor and of normal cells. In particular, a one dimensional model is discussed in which invasion takes the form of a travelling wave front.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the editors of this volume for their kind invitation to write the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics U.Dini, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 67/A, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Antonio Fasano

  2. CNR Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science A. Ruberti, Viale Manzoni 30, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Antonio Fasano

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  1. Antonio Fasano
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Correspondence to Antonio Fasano .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Alberto d’Onofrio

  2. Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy

    Paola Cerrai

  3. Istituto di Analisi dei Sistemi ed Informatica “A. Ruberti“ — CNR, Rome, Italy

    Alberto Gandolfi

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Fasano, A. (2012). Glucose Metabolism in Multicellular Spheroids, ATP Production and Effects of Acidity. In: d’Onofrio, A., Cerrai, P., Gandolfi, A. (eds) New Challenges for Cancer Systems Biomedicine. SIMAI Springer Series. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2571-4_9

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