I.

OVERVIEW
• The tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle), also called the citric acid
cycle or the Krebs cycle, plays several roles in metabolism
• It is the final pathway where the oxidative catabolism of
carbohydrates, amino acids, and fatty acids convert them to CO2
• This oxidation provides energy for the production of the majority of
ATP in most animals, including humans.
• Occurs totally in the mitochondria and is, therefore, in close
proximity to the reactions of ETC which oxidize the reduced
coenzymes (NADH and FADH2) produced by the cycle

Dr. M. Alzaharna 2016

• It is an aerobic pathway, because O2 is required as the final electron
acceptor
• Supplies intermediates for a number of important synthetic reactions.
• formation of glucose from the carbon skeletons of some amino acids,
• and it provides building blocks for the synthesis of some amino acids

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Dr. M. Alzaharna 2016