Energy in motion
•Carbohydrate digestion and absorption
•Glycolysis: phases, enzymatic steps, and regulation
•Metabolism of fructose and galactose
•Pyruvate pathways: fermentation and aerobic
respiration
•Industrial applications
•Gluconeogenesis and its metabolic checkpoints
•Glycogen metabolism: synthesis and breakdown
•Enzyminatic regulation
•Hormonal regulation (Insulin, Glucagon, and
Adrenaline)
, The most widespread nutrient is glucose
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Glucose (C6H12O6) is degraded and oxidized to obtain the energy stored in its
bonds, energy necessary to produce ATP.
The complete process of glucose catabolism involves two phases: glycolysis and
cellular respiration, which overall oxidize glucose:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 6 CO2 + 6H2O + Energy (ATP)
, Before discussing carbohydrate
Copyright © MPI-Maria Paola Ippolito. All rights reserved
catabolism, we must remember that
they are ingested through diet,
digested into their constituent units in
the mouth and duodenum (via
amylase), and then absorbed.
Absorption takes place in the jejunum
and ileum of the small intestine, after
which glucose enters the bloodstream
and reaches the cells where it is
metabolized.
Glucose absorption occurs in the
jejunum and ileum through specific
transporters (SGLT1 and GLUT2) in co-
transport with sodium.
Source: Image by Marianne Rougez via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.