Secondary Metabolites and Types of Metabolites

Metabolism  is derived  from the Greek word  metabolē, “change”) is a set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in an organism. The three main purposes of metabolism are: Converting energy of food into energy that can be used to carry out cellular processes. Converts food into protein, lipid, nucleic acid, and some carbohydrate components. And removal of metabolic waste. These enzyme-catalysed reactions permit organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain structure, and react to the environment. The term metabolism can also denote the sum of all chemical reactions that occur in an organism, such as the digestion and carriage of substances within and between different cells. In this case, the intracellular sequence of reactions defined above is called intermediate (or intermediate) metabolism. It is known as the sum of the chemical reactions which take place within each cell of a living organism and that provide energy for dynamic processes and for producing new organic material. Living organisms are unique such that they can excerpt energy from their environments and use it to bring out activities such as movement, growth and development and reproduction. But how do living creatures or their cells—extract energy out of their environments, and how do cells use this energy to make and assemble the mechanisms from which the cells are made. 

Process of metabolism 

There are mainly two types of metabolism that are given below 

• Catabolism 
• Anabolism 

Catabolism – The process is primarily involved in breaking down large organic molecules into smaller ones. This process releases energy. It can be divided into three main stages are explained below: – 

Digestion 

The major organic compounds such as proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides are digested into their smaller components. This step targets carbohydrates, cellulose, and proteins that can’t be absorbed directly by the cells.

Energy release

After the molecules are broken down, cells absorb them and convert them to smaller molecules, mainly acetyl coenzyme A, which releases energy.

Energy Reserves

The released energy is retained by converting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). This process generates the chemical energy required for cell upkeep and growth. Glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and the breakdown of muscle protein to utilise amino acids are all examples of catabolic processes.

Anabolism – The process of anabolism is endergonic, that means it is not spontaneous and it requires energy for progression of reaction. There are mainly three steps to progress anabolic reaction. The are as follows :- 

• The production of precursors such as nucleotides, monosaccharides , amino acids and isoprenoids.
• The above mentioned precursors then get activated into reactive forms with the assistance  of energy from ATP. 
• Finally, it assembles the precursors to form complex molecules such nucleic acids, protein , lipids and polysaccharides etc. 

Types of metabolites 

There are primarily two types of metabolites i.e. primary metabolites and secondary metabolites. Each of them are described below:- 

Primary metabolites

These are the chemical substances that are created during the processes of growth and development. They also play a role in respiration and photosynthesis, which are two of the most basic metabolic activities. During the growth phase, the main metabolites are generated. They are known as central metabolites and are responsible for maintaining the body’s physiological functioning. They are anabolic metabolism’s intermediate products, which the cells use to make important macromolecules.

Amino acids, vitamins, and organic acids are some of the most common industrial metabolites. Alcohol is the most commonly produced main metabolite on a big scale in industry.

Secondary metabolites

Secondary metabolites (SMs) are naturally occurring compounds produced mostly by bacteria, fungus, and plants. They are low-molecular-weight compounds with a wide range of chemical structures and biological functions. In contrast to main metabolites such as lipids, amino acids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, the name secondary metabolite comes from the discovery that their production is not required for organism growth and reproduction.

Conclusion 

As most organisms of the environment are continually changing, metabolic responses must be tightly regulated in order to maintain a constant set of conditions within cells, a situation known as homeostasis.  Metabolic regulation also enables organisms to respond to signals and engage in active interactions with their surroundings.  Grasp how metabolic pathways are controlled requires an understanding of two closely related ideas. To begin, the regulation of an enzyme in a pathway refers to how its activity changes in response to signals. The influence that changes in this enzyme’s activity have on the overall rate of the process is the second control exerted by this enzyme (the flux through the pathway).For example, an enzyme’s activity may fluctuate dramatically (i.e., it is highly regulated).