Human Fibroblast Switches to Anaerobic Metabolic Pathway in Response to Serum Starvation: A Mimic of Warburg Effect

Fibroblasts could be considered as connective tissu e cells that are morphologically heterogeneous with diverse functions depending on their location and activity. These cells play critical role in health and disea se such as cancer and wound by Production of collagen, fibronectin, cytokines a nd growth factors. Absence of insulin and other growth factors in serum deprivation condition and similarity of this condition to the environmen t of tumor cells and ulcer made us to investigate anaerobic gl ycolysis in these cells. To this end, we cultured f ibroblasts isolated from fresh human newborn foreskin in serum free medium for 16, 24, 48 and 72 hrs and measured glucose consumption, lactate secretion and intracel lular LDH in these cells. The results showed despit e the lack of insulin, the 16hr serum starved fibroblasts cons umed glucose similar to non-starved fibroblasts con trol. Moreover, in this condition these cells secreted hi gher levels of lactate and exhibited higher levels of intracellular LDH in comparison to non-starved fibr oblasts control. Thus it could be concluded that in serum starvation condition, the newborn human dermal fibr oblasts may change the metabolic strategy to Warbur g effect. This finding opens a new perspective to fur ther understanding the basic mechanisms involved in communication between tumor cells and fibroblasts .