Biochemistry · Molecule
Pyruvate !
Pyruvate is where glycolysis ends: with oxygen it enters the mitochondria and is burned; without oxygen it becomes lactate.
Updated 2026-10-31
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Key facts
- A three-carbon α-keto acid; each glucose gives two.
- Four fates: acetyl-CoA (PDH, mitochondria), lactate (LDH), oxaloacetate (pyruvate carboxylase, with biotin) and alanine (ALT, with vitamin B6).
- The blood lactate/pyruvate ratio is about 10–20; it rises in respiratory-chain defects and stays normal in PDH deficiency.
- Also called
- Pyruvic acid
- Formula
- C₃H₄O₃
- PubChem
- CID 1060
Structure
- It has a carboxyl group, a ketone at C2 and a methyl group; at cell pH it is the pyruvate anion.
Clinical notes
- It enters the mitochondria through the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC).
- In thiamine (B1) deficiency PDH fails, pyruvate builds up and is diverted to lactate.
Pathways
Related conditions
Related
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which vitamin does pyruvate carboxylase need?
Biotin (B7): it turns pyruvate into oxaloacetate.
What happens to pyruvate when oxygen is short?
LDH reduces it to lactate and regenerates NAD⁺.
What does a normal lactate/pyruvate ratio with high lactate suggest?
A block at PDH (or pyruvate carboxylase) rather than in the respiratory chain.
Molecules are shown in their neutral form, as the databases deposit them; in the cell the acids and phosphates are ionised.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Sources: Pyruvic acid (CID 1060) (PubChem, NCBI, 2026) · Public domain; Pyruvate metabolism (Reactome, 2026); Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical Students, 6th ed. (Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (Vasudevan DM, Sreekumari S, Vaidyanathan K), 2011).
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