metabolism
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Article
32 sectionsContents
- Key biochemicals
- Amino acids and proteins
- Lipids
- Carbohydrates
- Nucleotides
- Coenzymes
- Minerals and cofactors
- Catabolism
- Digestion
- Energy from organic compounds
- Energy transformations
- Oxidative phosphorylation
- Energy from inorganic compounds
- Energy from light
- Anabolism
- Carbon fixation
- Carbohydrates and glycans
- Fatty acids, isoprenoids and sterol
- Proteins
- Nucleotide synthesis and salvage
- Xenobiotics and redox metabolism
- Thermodynamics of living organisms
- Regulation and control
- Evolution
- Investigation and manipulation
- History
- Greek philosophy
- Application of the scientific method
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|upright=1.35|Simplified view of cellular metabolism
Metabolism (, from metabolē, "change") refers to the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that occur within living organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are the conversion of energy in food into a usable form for cellular processes; the conversion of food to building blocks of macromolecules (biopolymers) such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the excretion of metabolic wastes. These enzyme-catalyzed reactions allow organisms to grow, reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. The word metabolism can also refer to all chemical reactions that occur in living organisms, including digestion and the transportation of substances into and between different cells. In a broader sense, the set of reactions occurring within the cells is called intermediary (or intermediate) metabolism.