The metabolic shift that cancer cells undergo towards aerobic glycolysis was identified as a defining feature in tumours almost 100 years ago; however, it has only recently become apparent that similar metabolic reprogramming is a key feature in other diseases – with fibrosis now entering the fray. In this perspective, an overview of the recent evidence implicating increased glycolysis and glutaminolysis as mediators of fibrosis is presented, with a particular emphasis on the novel therapeutic possibilities this introduces. Furthermore, the impact that metabolic reprogramming has on redox homeostasis is discussed, providing an insight into how this often-overlooked mechanism may drive the pathogenesis.

大约 100 年前，癌细胞向有氧糖酵解的代谢转变被确定为肿瘤的一个决定性特征。然而，直到最近才发现类似的代谢重编程是其他疾病的一个关键特征——纤维化现在也加入了竞争。从这个角度来看，概述了最近表明糖酵解和谷氨酰胺分解增加作为纤维化介质的证据，特别强调了由此引入的新治疗可能性。此外，还讨论了代谢重编程对氧化还原稳态的影响，从而深入了解这种经常被忽视的机制如何驱动发病机制。