In animals under anaerobic conditions, pyruvate is converted to lactate through the process of lactate fermentation. This process helps regenerate NAD+ to continue glycolysis in the absence of oxygen.
During fermentation, NADH is oxidized back to NAD+ in order to continue glycolysis. This occurs by passing electrons from NADH to pyruvate to form either ethanol or lactate, depending on the organism. This process of regenerating NAD+ allows glycolysis to continue in the absence of oxygen.
pyruvate because it results in NADH while lactate results in NAD+ (NADH > hydrogen atoms than NAD+ because NAD+ has been oxidized)
During intense exercise, muscle cells produce lactate as a byproduct of anaerobic energy metabolism when oxygen supply is limited. This process helps regenerate NAD+ for glycolysis to continue and sustain energy production. Lactate can be metabolized in the liver or other tissues to produce more energy or converted back to pyruvate for further energy production.
This is the Glycolysis pathway Glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose to pyruvate and lactate, occurs in the cell cytoplasm): Glucose + 2 ATP + 4 ADP + 2 NAD -> 2 Pyruvate + 2 ADP + 4 ATP + 2 NADH + energy. Oxidation of glucose is known as glycolysis. Glucose is oxidized to either lactate or pyruvate. Under aerobic conditions, the dominant product in most tissues is pyruvate and the pathway is known as aerobic glycolysis. When oxygen is depleted, as for instance during prolonged vigorous exercise, the dominant glycolytic product in many tissues is lactate and the process is known as anaerobic glycolysis. "These studies demonstrate that orderly glycolysis in the erythrocyte is regulated by the NAD-to-NADH ratio and also provide a method that makes possible the in vitro study of erythrocyte glycolysis." The conversion of pyruvate to lactate, under anaerobic conditions, provides the cell with a mechanism for the oxidation of NADH (produced during the G3PDH reaction) to NAD which occurs during the LDH catalyzed reaction. This reduction is required since NAD is a necessary substrate for G3PDH, without which glycolysis will cease. Normally, during aerobic glycolysis the electrons of cytoplasmic NADH are transferred to mitochondrial carriers of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway generating a continuous pool of cytoplasmic NAD NADH
This reaction generates NAD+ from NADH. You need NAD+ for glycolysis, so this conversion (pyruvate to lactate) regenerates one of the reactants needed for glycolysis to continue. You're usually taught that NADH is a source of energy, so getting rid of it when you are energy starved seems counterintuitive. However, when no oxygen is available, you can't use NADH as a source of energy because the electron transport chain is out of commission without oxygen.
In the absence of oxygen, pyruvate is converted into lactate through a process called fermentation. This allows for the regeneration of NAD+ so that glycolysis can continue to produce ATP in the absence of oxygen.
Pyruvate+NADH--->Lactate + NAD+ +ATP
The lactate is taken to the liver and converted back to pyruvate.
lactate
Under anaerobic conditions, NAD+ can be regenerated through fermentation processes that do not require oxygen. During fermentation, pyruvate produced from glycolysis is converted into various end products like lactate or ethanol, which helps regenerate NAD+ from NADH. This allows for continued glycolysis and ATP production in the absence of oxygen.
The equation for the production of lactic acid after glycolysis is pyruvate + NADH + H+ -> lactate + NAD+. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase.