ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Metabolic Physiology
The Mechanisms of Energy Balance Between Oxidative Phosphorylation and Glycolysis in Human Ovarian Granulosa Cells
Provisionally accepted
Jing Wang1Gai-Jing Wang1Ling-Chao Wang2Lu-Lu Wang1Jin-Jin Qin1Bei Wang1
Jie Cui1*Hong-Li Wu1Rui Li1Wei Liu1- 1Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, China
- 266350 Medical Company of PLA, Baoding, China
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Objective: This study investigated the interplay between mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis in human ovarian granulosa cells by analyzing changes induced by the mitochondrial inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) and the glycolysis inhibitor bromopyruvic acid (BA). Methods: Mural granulosa cells (mGCs) were isolated from tubal factor infertility patients and cultured. Cells were divided into control, CCCP(10 µM), and BA(0.5 mM) groups. Mitochondrial function was assessed via mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. Glycolysis-related gene expression (HIF-1α, GLUT1, LDHA, PFKP) was measured by qRT-PCR after CCCP treatment. Glucose consumption and cell viability (CCK-8 assay) were evaluated in control and CCCP groups at 24, 48, and 72 hours. Results: Compared to controls, both CCCP and BA groups exhibited significantly decreased in MMP (P < 0.0001).and ATP levels (P ≤0.001), while ROS showed a nonsignificant increase (P > 0.05). CCCP treatment significantly upregulated mRNA expression of HIF-1α, GLUT1, LDHA, and PFKP (P < 0.05). Glucose consumption rate significantly increased in the CCCP group at all time points (P < 0.05), peaking at 72 hours. Cell viability progressively improved with longer culture duration after-CCCP treatment, showing significant increases at 48 and 72 hours (P < 0.05), reaching levels comparable to controls by 72 hours (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Human mGCs utilize both oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis for energy metabolism. Inhibition of one pathway triggers compensatory upregulation of the other, indicating collaborative regulation between these pathways to maintain cellular function and follicular homeostasis.
Keywords: Energy Metabolism, Glycolysis, Mitochondrial function, mural granulosa cells (mGCs), Oxidative Stress
Received: 02 Oct 2025; Accepted: 29 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Wang, Wang, Wang, Wang, Qin, Wang, Cui, Wu, Li and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jie Cui
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