PENTOSE PHOSPHATE

PATHWAY

JULIUS P. MARIO, RMT, MS

PENTOSE PHOSPHATE PATHWAY
 Occurs in the cytosol
 Meets the need of all organisms for a source
of NADPH to use in reductive biosynthesis
 consists of two phases:
Oxidative generation of NADPH when glucose-6-
phosphate is oxidized to ribose-5-phosphate
Nonoxidative interconversion of 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 7
carbon sugars to synthesize five-carbon sugars
for two purposes:
 Biosynthesis of nucleotides
 Production of excess into glycolytic pathway intermediates
 Glucose-6-phosphate
PHASE 1
G-6-PD, Lactonase,
6-Phosphogluconate 2 NADP+
(Oxidative) dehydrogenase
2 NADPH
Ribulose-5-phosphate
Phosphopentose
isomerase Phosphopentose Phosphopentose
epimerase epimerase
Ribose-5-phosphate
Xylulose-5-phosphate
Xylulose-5-phosphate
Transketolase

GAP Sedoheptulose-7-phosphate

Transaldolase

Fructose-6-phosphate Erythrose-4-phosphate

Transketolase
PHASE 2
Fructose-6-phosphate GAP
(Nonoxidative)
REACTION ENZYME
Oxidative Phase
G-6-P + NADP+  6-phosphogluconolactone + NADPH + H+ G-6-PD
6-phosphogluconolactone + HOH  6-phosphogluconate + H+ Lactonase
6-phosphogluconate + NADP+ ribulose-5-phosphate + NADPH + CO2 6-Phosphogluconate

dehydrogenase
Nonoxidative Phase
Ribulose-5-P  Ribose-5-P Phosphopentose
isomerase
Ribulose-5-P  Xylulose-5-P Phosphopentose
epimerase
Xylulose-5-P + Ribose-5-P  Sedoheptulose-7-P + Transketolase
C5 + C5 ------ C7 + C3 Glyceraldehyde-3-
P
Sedoheptulose-7-P + glyceraldehyde-3-P  Fructose-6-P + Transaldolase

C7 + C3 +
Xylulose-5-P ----- C6 + 
Erythrose-4-P C4 Fructose-6-P + Erythrose-4-P Transketolase

C5 + C4 ----------- C6 + C3 Glyceraldehyde-3-
P
PATHWAYS REQUIRING NADPH
 BIOSYNTHESIS
 Fattyacid
 Cholesterol
 Neurotransmitter
 Nucleotide

 DETOXIFICATION
 Reductionof oxidized glutathione
 Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases
 TISSUES WITH ACTIVE PENTOSE
PHOSPHATE PATHWAYS
TISSUE FUNCTION

 Adrenals Steroid synthesis

 Liver Fatty acid & Cholesterol synthesis
 Testes Steroid synthesis
 Adipocytes Fatty acid synthesis
 Ovary Steroid synthesis
 Mamma Fatty acid synthesis
 RBC Maintenance of reduced glutathione