Energy Metabolism in NFS 141

The flashcards cover essential terms and definitions related to energy metabolism as discussed in lecture notes.

Energy Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions that occur in living cells to obtain and expend energy from food.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the high-energy compound that powers all activities in living cells and captures energy from glucose breakdown.

Catabolism

The breakdown of large molecules into smaller ones, releasing energy.

Anabolism

The process where small molecules come together to build larger ones, requiring energy.

Glycolysis

The metabolic pathway that breaks down glucose into pyruvate, producing a small amount of ATP.

Cori Cycle

The pathway in which glucose is metabolized to lactate in the muscle, lactate is converted back to glucose in the liver.

Oxidation

A chemical process where a substance loses electrons, often associated with energy release.

Deamination

The removal of the nitrogen-containing amino group from an amino acid before entering metabolic pathways.

Coenzymes

Organic molecules that associate with enzymes and are essential for enzyme function; many B vitamins serve as coenzymes.

TCA Cycle

Also known as the citric acid cycle or Krebs cycle, a series of chemical reactions used by aerobic organisms to release stored energy.

Fatty Acid Oxidation

The process of breaking down fatty acids into acetyl CoA, which can enter the TCA cycle.

Aerobic Respiration

Process in which pyruvate is converted to acetyl CoA in the presence of oxygen.

Anaerobic Respiration

Process in which pyruvate is converted to lactate in the absence of oxygen.

Glucogenic Amino Acids

Amino acids that can be converted to glucose.

Ketogenic Amino Acids

Amino acids that are converted to acetyl CoA.

Energy Yielding Nutrients

Nutrients that provide energy to the body, including carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

Electron Transport Chain

A series of proteins within the mitochondria that transfer electrons and produce ATP from energy released during reactions.

Hydrogen carriers

Coenzymes that carry hydrogens and their electrons to the electron transport chain.

Glycogen

A storage form of glucose primarily found in the liver and muscle.

Lactate

The byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis, formed when pyruvate accepts hydrogen during low oxygen conditions.