During glycolysis, which molecule is converted into pyruvate?

During glycolysis, hexose sugars, primarily glucose, are the molecules that undergo a series of enzymatic reactions to be converted into pyruvate. This metabolic pathway is one of the key processes in cellular respiration where glucose is broken down to produce energy in the form of ATP. The glycolytic pathway consists of ten steps, beginning with the phosphorylation of glucose and culminating in the conversion of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate into pyruvate.

In contrast, fatty acids are typically broken down through a different process known as beta-oxidation rather than glycolysis. Citrate is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) and is not involved in glycolysis. Acetyl-CoA, while important in metabolism, is a product derived from the breakdown of pyruvate or fatty acids and does not participate in glycolysis as a starting material. Focusing on the role of hexose sugars in glycolysis highlights their importance as the primary fuel source for this critical metabolic pathway.