Question

Concerning the glycogen synthesis and pentose phosphate pathways, which are particularly active in liver, muscle and fat tissue soon after eating a meal, and why? (What does their being active accomplish do for your organism?) Describe and explain.

Answer 1

After meal, the level of blood glucose is very high. Usally the absorption continues for 4-6 hours after meal. After receiving dietary carbohydrate from the intestine two enzyme is particularly important hexokinase for muscle and glucokinase for liver, both of which can transform glucose into glucose-6-phosphate. glucose-6-phosphate has many possibilities but after post-prandial period most of the glucose-6-phosphate may invested in glycogen synthesis via conversion of glucose into glucose-1-phosphate and UDP Glucose. Glycogen can be served as a easily available energy food reserve for future and a source of glucose.

A second option which is mainly happening into liver is the formation of fructose-6-phosphate from glucose-6-phosphate. Fructose-6-phosphate then transformed into acetyl Co-A which can initiate fatty acid synthesis. On the other hand fat tissue can transform glucose into glycerol-3-phosphate which can serve as a substrate for fatty acid synthesis, the most predominated glucose utilizing pathway specialized for fat tissue.fat tissue are particularly important for heat and energy production.

pentose phosphate pathway is predominant in liver tissue to produce NADPH and ribose-5-phosphate. NADPH is a important source of reducing energy , also important for fatty acid synthesis reaction. ribose-5-phosphate for nucleic acid biosynthesis.