The Warburg effect in tumor metabolism refers to:
- A Preferential use of oxidative phosphorylation even under aerobic conditions
- B Upregulation of the TCA cycle to meet biosynthetic demands
- C Aerobic glycolysis with lactate production even in the presence of oxygen ✓
- D Inhibition of fatty acid oxidation to preserve membrane lipids
Correct answer: C. Aerobic glycolysis with lactate production even in the presence of oxygen
Explanation
The Warburg effect describes preferential aerobic glycolysis in tumor cells: glucose is converted to lactate even when oxygen is available, rather than entering oxidative phosphorylation. This is metabolically inefficient for ATP generation but provides biosynthetic intermediates (ribose, glycerol, amino acid precursors) for rapid cell proliferation. It is exploited clinically by FDG-PET scanning.
Reference: Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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