Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is a fundamental metabolic pathway in mammalian cells, excluding mature red blood cells, that oxidizes acetyl CoA from diverse nutrient sources to generate NADH and FADH2 for energy production, while also supplying intermediates essential for biosynthesis of glucose, lipids, and amino acids, and is tightly regulated to meet cellular metabolic needs.