8.1 Energy Systems Flashcards
What is the ATP-PC system and what does it stand for?
- ATP-PC - Adenosine Triphosphate Phosphocreatine- the only usable form of energy in the body
- Its an energy system using phosphocreatine (PC) as its fuel
What is phospocreatine and where is it found?
- PC is an energy-rich phosphate compound found in the sarcoplasm of the muscles & can be broken down quickly & easily to release energy to resynthesise ATP
How long does the ATP-PC system last for?
- There is only enough PC to last for 5-8 seconds
What does ATP consist of?
- Consists of one molecule of adenosine and three (tri) phosphates
How does the ATP-PC system work to provide energy?
- ATP-PC system is an anaerobic process & re-synthesises ATP when the enzyme creatine Kinase detects high levels of ADP
- It breaks down the phosphocreatine in the muscles to phosphate & creatine, releasing energy
- This energy is then used to convert ADP to ATP in a coupled reaction
- For every 1 molcule of PC broken down there is enough energy released to create 1 molecule of ATP
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the ATP-PC system?
Advantages:
- ATP can be resynthesised rapidly using the ATP-PC system
- PC stores can be resynthesised quickly - (30s=50% replenishment & 3mins=100%)
- There are no fatiguing by products
- It is possible to extend the time the ATP-PC system can be utilised through use of creatine supplementation
Disadvantages:
- There is only a limited supply of phosphocreatine in the muscle cell, i.e can only last for 10 seconds
- Only one mole of ATP can be re-synthesised for every mole of PC
- PC re-synthesis can only take place in the prescence of oxygen (i.e when the intensity of the exercise is reduced)
How does the body constantly rebuild ATP?
- By converting the ADP & Pi back into ATP
- We can resynthesise ATP from 3 different types of chemical reactions in the muscle cells
- These chemical reactions are fuelled by either a food or a chemical called phosphocreatine found in the muscles
What are the three energy systems that the conversion of energy into this fuel takes place in?
- The aerobic system
- The ATP-PC system
- The anaerobic glycolytic system
When is the aerobic system used and what does it do?
- Used when exercise intensity is low & oxygen supply is high
- This system breaks down glucose into carbon dioxide & water which in the prescence of oxygen is much more efficient
- Up to 38 molecules of ATP can be produced
What are the 3 stages of the aerobic system?
- Glycolysis
- Krebs Cycle
- Electron Transport Chain
REMEMBER ORDER: Get Kintetic Energy (GLYCOLYSIS, KREBS,ELECTRON)
What is the glycolysis stage?
- This 1st stage is anaerobic so it takes place in the sarcoplasm of the muscle cell
- Glycolysis is the breakdown of glucose to pyruvic acid
- For every molecule of glucose undergoing glycolysis, a net of two molecules of ATP is formed
- Before the pyruvic acid produced in glycolysis can enter the next stage (Krebs cycle) it is oxidised into two acetyl groups & is then carried into Krebs cycle by coenzyme A
What happens in the Krebs cycle?
- The two acetyl groups diffuse into the matrix of the mitochondria where Krebs cycle occurs
- Here the acetyl groups combine with oxaloacetic acid, forming citric acid
- Hydrogen is removed from the citric acid & the rearranged form of citric acid undergoes ‘oxidative carboxylation’ means that carbon & hydrogen are given off.
- The carbon forms carbon dioxide which is transported to the lungs & breathed out & the hydrogen is taken to the electron transport chain
- The reactions that occur result in the production of two molecules of ATP
What happens during the electron transport chain?
- Hydrogen is carried to the electron transport chain by hydrogen carriers
- This occurs in the cristae of the mitochondria & the hydrogen splits into hydrogen ions & electrons & they are charged with potential energy
- The hydrogen ions are oxidised to form water while the hydrogen electrons provide the energy to re-synthesise ATP
- Through this process 34 ATP are formed
What is beta oxidisation?
- Stored fat is broken down into glycerol & free fatty acids for transportation by the blood
- These fatty acids then undergo a process called beta oxidisation whereby they are converted into acetyl coenzyme A, which is the entry molecule for the Krebs cycle
- From this point on, fat metabolism follows the same path as glycogen metabolism.
- More ATP can be made from one molecule of fatty acids than one molecule of glucose
- Which is why in long duration, low intensity exercise fatty acids will be the predominent energy source
(Fat in regards to the aerobic system)
What are the advantages & disadvantages of the aerobic system?
Advantages:
- More ATP can be produced 36 ATP
- There are no fatiguing by-products (co2 & water)
- Lots of glycogen & triglyceride stores so exercise can last a long time
Disadvantages:
- This is a complicated system so cannot be used straight away, it takes a while for enough oxygen to become avaliable to meet the demands of the activiy & ensure glycogen & fatty acids are completely broken down
- Fatty acid transportation to muscles is low & also requires 15% more oxygen to be broken down than glycogen