Metabolism Summary

Metabolism Summary

A general overview of the major metabolic pathways 

Metabolism is the set of chemical rections that occur in a cell, which enable it to keep living, growing and dividing. Metabolic processes are usually classified as:

• catabolism - obtaining energy and reducing power from nutrients.
  
  
• anabolism - production of new cell components, usually through processes that require energy and reducing power obtained from nutrient catabolism.
• There is a very large number of metabolic pathways. In humans, the most important metabolic pathways are:
• glycolysis - glucose oxidation in order to obtain ATP
• citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) - acetyl-CoA oxidation in order to obtain GTP and valuable intermediates.
• oxidative phosphorylation - disposal of the electrons released by glycolysis and citric acid cycle. Much of the energy released in this process can be stored as ATP.
• pentose phosphate pathway - synthesis of pentoses and release of the reducing power needed for anabolic reactions.
• urea cycle - disposal of NH4+ in less toxic forms
• fatty acid β-oxidation - fatty acids breakdown into acetyl-CoA, to be used by the Krebs cycle.
• gluconeogenesis - glucose synthesis from smaller percursors, to be used by the brain.

Source.http://www2.ufp.pt/~pedros/bq/integration.htm

2=A few of the metabolic pathways present in the cell

Source.http://images.tutorvista.com/cms/images/44/steps-involved-in-lipid-metabolism1.png