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Figure 11.1 Conversion of glucose to lactate during anaerobic glycolysis. One mole of glucose is converted to 2 moles of lactate during anaerobic glycolysis. No oxygen is consumed, nor is CO2 produced in this pathway. There is a net yield of 2 mol ATP per mol glucose converted to lactate. |
| The erythrocyte, or red blood cell (RBC), represents 40-45% of blood volume and over 90% of the formed elements (erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets) in blood. The RBC is, both structurally and metabolically, the simplest cell in the body - the end product of the maturation of bone-marrow reticulocytes. During its maturation, the RBC loses all its subcellular organelles. Without nuclei, it lacks the ability to synthesize DNA or RNA. Without ribosomes or an endoplasmic reticulum, it cannot synthesize or secrete protein. Because it cannot oxidize fats, a process requiring mitochondrial activity, the RBC relies exclusively on blood glucose as a fuel. Metabolism of glucose in the RBC is entirely anaerobic, consistent with
the primary role of the RBC in oxygen transport and delivery, rather than its utilization.
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