Carbohydrate metabolism

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Carbohydrate metabolism denotes the various biochemical processes responsible for the formation, breakdown and interconversion of carbohydrates in living organisms. It includes:

• Carbon fixation, whereby CO₂ is reduced to carbohydrate.
• Glycolysis - the breakdown of the glucose molecule in order to obtain ATP
• the Pentose phosphate pathway, which acts in the conversion of hexoses into pentoses and in NADPH regeneration.
• Glycogenesis - the conversion of excess glucose into glycogen in order to prevent excessive osmotic pressure buildup inside the cell
• Glycogenolysis - the breakdown of glycogen into glucose, in order to provide a steady level of glucose supply for glucose-dependent tissues.
• Gluconeogenesis - de novo synthesis of glucose molecules from simple organic compounds

See also