What happens to CO2 produced during the Krebs cycle?

What happens to CO2 produced during the Krebs cycle?

• A. It is exhaled through the lungs
• B. It is stored in the liver
• C. It is converted to glucose
• D. It is used for amino acid synthesis

Answer: (A)

CO2 produced in the Krebs cycle is a waste product that is expelled from the body via the lungs. In the cycle, carbon atoms are released as CO2 during the oxidative decarboxylation steps. The CO2 is carried in the blood mainly as bicarbonate (and some in dissolved form) and travels to the lungs, where it is exhaled. It isn’t stored in the liver, converted into glucose, or directly used to make amino acids—the carbon for those processes comes from other metabolic pathways and substrates, while CO2 must be removed from the body.

CO2 produced in the Krebs cycle is a waste product that is expelled from the body via the lungs. In the cycle, carbon atoms are released as CO2 during the oxidative decarboxylation steps. The CO2 is carried in the blood mainly as bicarbonate (and some in dissolved form) and travels to the lungs, where it is exhaled. It isn’t stored in the liver, converted into glucose, or directly used to make amino acids—the carbon for those processes comes from other metabolic pathways and substrates, while CO2 must be removed from the body.