Lonidamine, a selective inhibitor of aerobic glycolysis of murine tumor cells

The action of Lonidamine [1-(2,4-chlorobenzyl)-1H-indazol-3-carboxylic acid] on respiration and aerobic lactate production of several murine tumor cells and normal differentiated murine cells was investigated. Lonidamine reduced the oxygen consumption in both normal and neoplastic cells. In contrast, it increased the aerobic glycolysis of normal cells but inhibited that of tumor cells. This selective action might be ascribed to the inhibition of mitochondrially bound hexokinase, which is usually absent in normal differentiated cells.