Pyruvate in the context of Lactic acid

A hydrogenosome is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in some anaerobic ciliates, flagellates, fungi, and three species of loriciferans. Hydrogenosomes are highly variable organelles that have presumably evolved from protomitochondria to produce molecular hydrogen and ATP in anaerobic conditions.

Hydrogenosomes were discovered in 1973 by D. G. Lindmark and M. Müller. Because hydrogenosomes hold evolutionary lineage significance for organisms living in anaerobic or oxygen-stressed environments, many research institutions have since documented their findings on how the organelle differs in various sources.

C₄ carbon fixation or the Hatch–Slack pathway is one of three known photosynthetic processes of carbon fixation in plants. It owes the names to the 1960s discovery by Marshall Davidson Hatch and Charles Roger Slack.

C₄ fixation is an addition to the ancestral and more common C₃ carbon fixation. The main carboxylating enzyme in C₃ photosynthesis is called RuBisCO, which catalyses two distinct reactions using either CO₂ (carboxylation) or oxygen (oxygenation) as a substrate. RuBisCO oxygenation gives rise to phosphoglycolate, which is toxic and requires the expenditure of energy to recycle through photorespiration. C₄ photosynthesis reduces photorespiration by concentrating CO₂ around RuBisCO.

In the mitochondrion, the matrix is the space within the inner membrane. It can also be referred as the mitochondrial fluid. The word "matrix" stems from the fact that this space is viscous, compared to the relatively aqueous cytoplasm. The mitochondrial matrix contains the mitochondrial DNA, ribosomes, soluble enzymes, small organic molecules, nucleotide cofactors, and inorganic ions. The enzymes in the matrix facilitate reactions responsible for the production of ATP, such as the citric acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, oxidation of pyruvate, and the beta oxidation of fatty acids.

The composition of the matrix based on its structures and contents produce an environment that allows the anabolic and catabolic pathways to proceed favorably. The electron transport chain and enzymes in the matrix play a large role in the citric acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. The citric acid cycle produces NADH and FADH2 through oxidation that will be reduced in oxidative phosphorylation to produce ATP.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a complex of three enzymes that converts pyruvate into acetyl-CoA by a process called pyruvate decarboxylation. Acetyl-CoA may then be used in the citric acid cycle to carry out cellular respiration, and this complex links the glycolysis metabolic pathway to the citric acid cycle. Pyruvate decarboxylation is also known as the "pyruvate dehydrogenase reaction" because it also involves the oxidation of pyruvate. The levels of pyruvate dehydrogenase enzymes play a major role in regulating the rate of carbohydrate metabolism and are strongly stimulated by the evolutionarily ancient hormone insulin. The PDC is opposed by the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, and this mechanism plays a pivotal role in regulating rates of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in many physiological states across taxa, including feeding, starvation, diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, and hibernation.

The multienzyme complex is structurally and functionally related to the oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDC), the 2-oxoadipate dehydrogenase complex (OADHC) and the branched-chain oxo-acid dehydrogenase complex (BCKDC), all of which are members of the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complex family. A role for insulin in the regulation of glucose homeostasis, pyruvate dehydrogenase levels, and the generation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the electron transport chain has been evolutionarily conserved across species. A shift in substrate utilization can be induced by conditions such as eating or fasting, and the oxidation of either glucose or fatty acids tends to suppress the use of the other substrate (a phenomenon known as the Randle cycle). The intake of macronutrients stimulates the secretion and release of insulin and other chemical messengers such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which act to regulate glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, satiety, and fat balance in the body. In the postprandial period, insulin is produced by the pancreas and serves to activate carbohydrate metabolism and stimulate glucose disposal in order to meet metabolic demands and prevent glucotoxicity. When insulin is unable to efficiently stimulate glucose utilization, the body's tissues become resistant to its hypoglycemic effects, promoting the development of a state of insulin resistance over time. This can happen because of chronic exposure to hyperinsulinemia due to poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and other potentially modifiable risk factors. The phenomenon is similar to leptin resistance and can potentially lead to many deleterious health effects stemming from chronically elevated insulin levels, such as excessive fat storage and de novo synthesis, hepatic and peripheral insulin resistance, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease] (NAFLD), hypertension and dyslipidemia, and decreased resting energy expenditure (REE) caused by impaired diet-induced thermogenesis.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase is an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of pyruvate and a lipoamide to give the acetylated dihydrolipoamide and carbon dioxide. The conversion requires the coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase is usually encountered as a component, referred to as E1, of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). PDC consists of other enzymes, referred to as E2 and E3. Collectively E1-E3 transform pyruvate, NAD, coenzyme A into acetyl-CoA, CO₂, and NADH. The conversion is crucial because acetyl-CoA may then be used in the citric acid cycle to carry out cellular respiration. To distinguish between this enzyme and the PDC, it is systematically called pyruvate dehydrogenase (acetyl-transferring).

Tetramethylpyrazine, also known as ligustrazine, is a chemical compound found in nattō and in fermented cocoa beans. In an observational study, tetramethylpyrazine was the dominant volatile organic compound in one sourdough starter. When purified, tetramethylpyrazine is a colorless solid. It is classified as an alkylpyrazine. Its biosynthesis involves amination of acetoin, the latter derived from pyruvate. It exhibits potential nootropic and antiinflammatory activities in rats.