Which description best defines the Cori Cycle?

Which description best defines the Cori Cycle?

• A. Metabolic pathway in which lactate produced by anaerobic glycolysis in the muscle moves to the liver and is converted back to glucose
• B. the process of lipid oxidation in adipose tissue
• C. a stage of protein synthesis in the liver
• D. a brain energy pathway during sleep

Answer: (A)

The Cori cycle describes how lactate produced by muscles during anaerobic glycolysis is moved to the liver, where it is converted back into glucose to be returned to the muscles. This allows glycolysis to continue in low-oxygen conditions by regenerating NAD+ in the muscle, and it helps maintain blood glucose during intense exercise. In the liver, lactate is turned into pyruvate and then into glucose, which can be released into the bloodstream for use by muscle cells again. The other options don’t fit because lipid oxidation in adipose tissue involves fat breakdown, not lactate recycling; a stage of protein synthesis in the liver isn’t about lactate-to-glucose conversion; and a brain energy pathway during sleep isn’t about regenerating glucose from lactate.

The Cori cycle describes how lactate produced by muscles during anaerobic glycolysis is moved to the liver, where it is converted back into glucose to be returned to the muscles. This allows glycolysis to continue in low-oxygen conditions by regenerating NAD+ in the muscle, and it helps maintain blood glucose during intense exercise. In the liver, lactate is turned into pyruvate and then into glucose, which can be released into the bloodstream for use by muscle cells again. The other options don’t fit because lipid oxidation in adipose tissue involves fat breakdown, not lactate recycling; a stage of protein synthesis in the liver isn’t about lactate-to-glucose conversion; and a brain energy pathway during sleep isn’t about regenerating glucose from lactate.