Fig. 1
From: Novel metabolic and physiological functions of branched chain amino acids: a review
Pathway of branched chain amino acid catabolism. BCAA are catabolized to acetyl-CoA and/or succinate-CoA and subsequently enter the TCA cycle. The main steps of the catabolic reactions (transamination by BCAT and decarboxylation by BCKD) are shown. With the help of BCAT, BCAA are catabolized into branched-chain α-ketoacids which are subsequently decarboxylated by BCKD. Finally, all the BCAA metabolites are catabolized by a series of enzyme reactions to final products and enter the TCA cycle