Energy

• Metabolism


  The chemical processes that occur within a cell in order to maintain life. Some substances are broken down to provide energy while others are resynthesised to store energy
• ATP (adenosine triphosphate)


  A high energy compound which is the only immediately available source of energy for muscular contraction
• Enzyme


  A biological catalyst that lowers the activation energy of reactions in cells
• ATPase


  An enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of ATP into ADP and a Pi, thereby releasing energy
• Exothermic reaction


  A chemical reaction which releases energy
• ADP (adenosine diphosphate)


  A compound formed by the removal of a phosphate bond from ATP
• Endothermic reaction


  A chemical reaction which absorbs energy
• Creatine kinase


  An enzyme which catalyses the breakdown of phosphocreatine (PC).
• Phosphocreatine


  A high energy compound stored in the muscle cell and broken down for ATP resynthesis
• Anaerobic


  Without the presence of oxygen
• Sacroplasm


  The cytoplasm or fluid within the muscle cell which holds stores of PC, glycogen and myoglobin
• Mole


  a unit of substance quantity
• Coupled reaction


  Where the products of one reaction are used in another reaction
• Phosphofructokinase (PFK)


  An enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of glucose (glycolysis)
• Anaerobic glycolysis


  The incomplete breakdown of glucose into pyruvic acid
• Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)


  An enzyme which catalyses the conversion of pyruvic acid into lactic acid
• OBLA


  The onset of blood lactate accumulation: the point at which blood lactate levels significantly rise and fatigue sets in
• Buffering Capacity


  The ability of hydrogen carbonate ions (buffers) to neutralise the effects of lactic acid in the blood stream.
• Krebs cycle


  Second stage of the aerobic system producing energy to resynthesise 2 ATP in the mitochondrial matrix
• Electron Transport Chain (ETC)


  The third stage of aerobic respiration production energy to resynthesise 34 ATP in the mitochondria cristae
• Mitochondria


  A structure within the cell where aerobic respiration and energy production occur
• Lipase


  An enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of triglycerides into free acids (FFAs) and glycerol