91Ó°ÊÓ

The pentose phosphate pathway for the oxidation of glucose is an alternative to glycolysis. The products obtained from the pathway are NADPH (a reduced coenzyme) and ribose 5-phosphate (a five-carbon phosphorylated sugar) namely, a pentose phosphate, hence the name pentose phosphate pathway.

The alternate process for glucose degradation is the pentose phosphate pathway. The presence of fluoride ions alters the enolase process; therefore, glycolysis is inhibited. Even when the glucose flux goes through glycolysis and the citric acid cycle is impeded, certain tissues create COâ‚‚ in high fluoride ion concentrations. In the presence of the pentose phosphate pathway, glucose may be oxidized, and COâ‚‚is produced.

Hence, even if the citric acid cycle and the flow of glucose through glycolysis are prevented, glucose can still be oxidized via the pentose phosphate route, producing carbon dioxide.