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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Transl Imaging. 2013 Aug;1(4):10.1007/s40336-013-0026-y. doi: 10.1007/s40336-013-0026-y

Figure 1. Aerobic cell respiration: glucose metabolism and the electron transport chain in mitochondria.

Figure 1

During respiration, glucose is oxidized to pyruvate down the glycolytic pathway in the cytoplasm. Pyruvate enters the mitochondria and the Krebs cycle. Each time the fuel molecule is oxidized, the released electrons are collected by electron carriers and then delivered to the electron transport chain (ETC). The electrons are transferred from protein to protein down the ETC chain (oxidative phosphorylation), which results in production of CO2, water and ATP: C6H12O6 + 6O2 ⇒ 6CO2 + 6H2O + 30ATP