Fig. 3

Metabolic changes of neutrophil in cancer. A Normal neutrophils and B tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs). The glycolysis process involves the degradation of glucose into pyruvate, which is converted into ATP. The metabolic process of glycolysis is fueled by NAD + produced during anaerobic conditions when pyruvate is converted into lactate. The TCA cycle produces NADPH, FADH, and ATP in the presence of oxygen by converting pyruvate to acetyl-CoA when oxygen is present. By using G6P, the PPP produces NADPH, an important mediator of NOX-dependent ROS production. The NETs formation can be triggered by ROS. TCA is carried out by acetyl-CoA produced from free fatty acids in the mitochondria. Autophagy can stimulate the production of pro-metastatic molecules such as OSM and MMP9. Reactive oxygen species, ROS; Nitrogen oxides, NOX; Pentose phosphate pathway, PPP; Hexokinase, HK; Oncostatin M, OSM; Matrix metalloprotein, MMP9; Arginase-1, ARG1; Prostaglandin E2, PGE2; Neutrophil extracellular traps, NETs; α-ketoglutarate, α -KG; Lectin-type oxidized LDL receptor 1, LOX1; Glucose Transporter, GLUT; Fatty acid oxidation, FAO; Oxidative phosphorylation, OXPHOS; Tricarboxylic acid, TCA. (Due to the inability of existing data to distinguish between N1 and N2 neutrophils, they are collectively referred to as TANs in the figure)