PKM and cancer: Thus, retarding the PKM2 catalyzed conversion of phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) into pyruvate, causing piling up of the glycolytic intermediates and their channeling into pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) as well as phospholipid and amino acid synthesis to facilitate biosynthesis of macromolecules and reducing equivalent [nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH + H+)], eventually supporting cancer cell proliferation (4).