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β-Oxidation
Mitochondrial pathway that sequentially cleaves two-carbon acetyl-CoA units from a fatty acyl-CoA chain through four steps (dehydrogenation, hydration, second dehydrogenation, thiolytic cleavage) per cycle.
Also: Beta-oxidation, Fatty acid oxidation
Long-chain fatty acids enter mitochondria via the carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1)/carnitine shuttle. Each cycle generates one FADH2, one NADH, and one acetyl-CoA; acetyl-CoA feeds the TCA cycle. Inherited defects in β-oxidation enzymes (MCAD, VLCAD, LCHAD) cause hypoketotic hypoglycemia and rhabdomyolysis after fasting. β-Oxidation is upregulated by fasting, exercise, and AMPK activation.
How one textbook covers it
Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 12th ed. — Ch 4: Lipids and Lipid Metabolites
Long-chain fatty acids enter mitochondria via the carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1)/carnitine shuttle. Each cycle generates one FADH2, one NADH, and one acetyl-CoA; acetyl-CoA feeds the TCA cycle. Inherited defects in β-oxidation enzymes (MCAD, VLCAD, LCHAD) cause hypoketotic hypoglycemia and rhabdomyolysis after fasting. β-Oxidation is upregulated by fasting, exercise, and AMPK activation.
Related terms
AMPK, Carnitine, Ketogenesis, TCA cycle