Master metabolism with 9 steps/arrows
Here’s my shortcut to remembering it in just 9️⃣ arrows:
1️⃣ Glu → Fru → Pyr
(Glucose → Fructose → Pyruvate)
This is glycolysis — the breakdown of glucose into pyruvate for quick energy.
💡 Example: Eat bread, glucose enters your cells, and is converted to pyruvate to start producing ATP.
2️⃣ Pyr → ACoA → TCA
(Pyruvate → Acetyl-CoA → TCA Cycle)
When oxygen’s available, pyruvate becomes Acetyl-CoA and runs through the TCA (Krebs) cycle for sustained energy.
💡 Example: A post-lunch walk taps into this aerobic pathway.
3️⃣ TCA → NADH → ETC → ATP
(TCA products → NADH → Electron Transport Chain → ATP)
The TCA cycle generates NADH, which powers the electron transport chain to make ATP — your cellular energy currency.
💡 Example: Your brain uses that ATP to keep you sharp while studying.
4️⃣ G6P ↔ PPP → NADPH + Ribose
(Glucose-6-Phosphate → Pentose Phosphate Pathway → NADPH + Ribose)
This detour from glucose creates NADPH (for antioxidant defense) and ribose (for DNA/RNA synthesis).
💡 Example: Immune cells use NADPH to neutralize pathogens.
5️⃣ Pyr → Lac
(Pyruvate → Lactate)
In low-oxygen conditions, pyruvate shifts to lactate.
💡 Example: That muscle burn during a sprint? Lactate at work.
6️⃣ Pyr → OAA → Gluconeogenesis
(Pyruvate → Oxaloacetate → Glucose)
During fasting, pyruvate is turned into oxaloacetate, then glucose, to maintain blood sugar.
💡 Example: After 10+ hours without food, your liver makes glucose for your brain.
7️⃣ ACoA → FAs → TAGs
(Acetyl-CoA → Fatty Acids → Triglycerides)
Excess energy is stored as fat.
💡 Example: Too many sweets? Your body parks the surplus as belly fat.
8️⃣ FAs → β-ox → ACoA → TCA
(Fatty Acids → Beta-Oxidation → Acetyl-CoA → TCA)
When carbs run low, fat becomes your fuel.
💡 Example: After 14 hours of intermittent fasting, fat breakdown kicks in.
9️⃣ AAs → Pyr / ACoA / TCA
(Amino Acids → Pyruvate or Acetyl-CoA or TCA)
Amino acids can feed into different energy pathways, depending on type.
💡 Example: In prolonged starvation, muscle protein is converted into energy intermediates.
"Nakakalimutan po yata nila kung sino ang boss nila dito. Ang boss nila dito, mga tao. Ano'ng klaseng senador 'yan? What is he? What are his values? Is he really our senator, or is he the senator of Sara Duterte?"
This was the reminder of Atty. Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, to the senator-judges in the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, following their decision to remand the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives.
Watch the full interview with Monsod: https://t.co/GnonJseu5E
(May 21, 2025) Actress Kim Jiwon at BVLGARI Polychroma in Taormina, Italy with Jean Christophe Babin (CEO of Bvlgari), Priyanka Chopra and Pia Wurtzbach Jauncey!💚
KIM JIWON SHINES IN ITALY
#KimJiWon#김지원
Seeing so many vehicle accidents on the news with lives tragically taken. So many young lives being taken away so soon. I truly pray and hope this is a wake up call for those in the DTO and LTO to find ways to ensure that drivers and vehicles on the roads meet the highest safety and licensing standards. My heart goes out to all those left to grieve for their parents, significant other, family member and their children🙁