Why do muscles not show glycogenolysis?
Why do muscles not show glycogenolysis?
Answered
Muscle cells do, in fact, undergo glycogenolysis, but the process differs from that in the liver. In muscles, glycogenolysis occurs when glycogen is broken down into glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), which is then used directly in the glycolysis pathway to produce ATP for muscle contraction. However, muscles do not release glucose into the bloodstream because they lack the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase, which is required for the final step of glycogenolysis—converting glucose-6-phosphate into free glucose. As a result, the glucose produced in muscle cells is used locally for energy, not exported to the bloodstream. This limitation is why muscles don’t “show” glycogenolysis in the sense of releasing glucose into the blood, but they do undergo the breakdown of glycogen for local energy production during exercise or stress.
BNO Team