How Does NAD+ Control Cancer's Metabolic Switch?
How does NAD+ control cancer’s metabolic switch?
Yes, NAD+ acts as a master metabolic sensor that directly controls the cellular pathways underlying the Warburg effect. This ancient metabolite, discovered by Otto Warburg himself in the 1930s, has emerged as a critical signaling molecule that regulates cancer cell metabolism through NAD+-dependent enzymes called sirtuins.
Nearly a century after Otto Warburg identified NAD+ as a fermentation cofactor, scientists have discovered its “secret life” as a metabolic control system. Cancer cells exploit this NAD+-dependent signaling to maintain their characteristic metabolic reprogramming, creating new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.