Question

A patient is in septic shock and his tissues

are poorly perfused and oxygenated. The major
end product of glucose metabolism in these
tissues will be an accumulation of which one of
the following?
(A) Pyruvate
(B) Acetyl-CoA
(C) Lactate
(D) Urea
(E) Citrate

Answer 1

In septic shock, due to poor oxygenation, cells undergo anaerobic metabolism of glucose leading to the accumulation of lactate as the major end product.

Step-by-step explanation:

In septic shock, where there is poor tissue perfusion and oxygenation, the lack of oxygen causes cells to switch from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism. Normally, glucose is metabolized into pyruvate which then enters the Krebs cycle in the presence of sufficient oxygen. However, without adequate oxygen, the pyruvate is converted to lactate during anaerobic glycolysis. This is because the regeneration of NAD+ from NADH, which is necessary for glycolysis to continue, requires the conversion of pyruvate to lactate in the absence of oxygen. As such, in septic shock, the major end product of glucose metabolism accumulating in tissues will be lactate.