Understanding Metabolic Pathways
Metabolic pathways are like busy highways in our bodies. They connect different processes to help our cells breathe and keep energy levels balanced. Here are some of the main pathways:
Glycolysis: This process takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell. It turns glucose (a type of sugar) into pyruvate. For every glucose molecule, it makes 2 ATP (the energy currency of cells) and 2 NADH (a helper molecule). This is just the first step, and it captures about 10% of the energy from the glucose.
Citric Acid Cycle (CAC): After glycolysis, pyruvate turns into Acetyl-CoA, which enters this cycle. Each time it goes around, it produces 3 NADH, 1 FADH2 (another helper molecule), and 1 GTP (which is also involved in energy transfer) for each cycle. Since there are two cycles for each glucose, this means we can get 6 NADH, 2 FADH2, and 2 GTP in total.
Oxidative Phosphorylation: This process takes the NADH and FADH2 produced earlier and uses them to make ATP. For each NADH, about 2.5 ATP are made, and for each FADH2, about 1.5 ATP are made. From one glucose molecule, we can theoretically make up to 32 ATP through this process.
Gluconeogenesis: This pathway mostly happens in the liver. It helps create glucose from other substances when there isn’t enough available, like during fasting. This keeps our blood sugar levels steady.
All of these pathways work together to provide a constant supply of ATP, which is vital for our cells to function. They show just how active and important our cellular metabolism really is!
Understanding Metabolic Pathways
Metabolic pathways are like busy highways in our bodies. They connect different processes to help our cells breathe and keep energy levels balanced. Here are some of the main pathways:
Glycolysis: This process takes place in the cytoplasm of the cell. It turns glucose (a type of sugar) into pyruvate. For every glucose molecule, it makes 2 ATP (the energy currency of cells) and 2 NADH (a helper molecule). This is just the first step, and it captures about 10% of the energy from the glucose.
Citric Acid Cycle (CAC): After glycolysis, pyruvate turns into Acetyl-CoA, which enters this cycle. Each time it goes around, it produces 3 NADH, 1 FADH2 (another helper molecule), and 1 GTP (which is also involved in energy transfer) for each cycle. Since there are two cycles for each glucose, this means we can get 6 NADH, 2 FADH2, and 2 GTP in total.
Oxidative Phosphorylation: This process takes the NADH and FADH2 produced earlier and uses them to make ATP. For each NADH, about 2.5 ATP are made, and for each FADH2, about 1.5 ATP are made. From one glucose molecule, we can theoretically make up to 32 ATP through this process.
Gluconeogenesis: This pathway mostly happens in the liver. It helps create glucose from other substances when there isn’t enough available, like during fasting. This keeps our blood sugar levels steady.
All of these pathways work together to provide a constant supply of ATP, which is vital for our cells to function. They show just how active and important our cellular metabolism really is!