Aerobic Respiration

Aerobic Respiration

All living organisms require energy to function; this energy is produced in the cells of the organism through a process known as cellular respiration. Basically, cellular respiration involves the breakdown of glucose to produce Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy carrier. There are three types of cellular respiration, and one of them is aerobic respiration. Aerobic respiration is the type of cellular respiration that requires oxygen to break down glucose so that energy can be produced (VanPutte et al., 2021). In this process, water and carbon dioxide are also produced as byproducts. The general equation for aerobic respiration is as follows;

C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂                              6CO₂ + 6H₂O + ATP

The whole aerobic process takes place in three consecutive stages, namely glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Glycolysis is the first step of aerobic respiration that takes place in the cytoplasm and involves a series of reactions that convert six-carbon glucose into pyruvate. The second stage, Kreb’s cycle, also referred to as the citric acid cycle, takes place in the mitochondrion. This stage involves a total of eight steps and primarily uses acetyl-CoA, together with pyruvate from glycolysis; the final products in this stage are NADH and FADH₂ (Fernie et al., 2004). Notably, this stage does not require oxygen. The byproducts mentioned above are not significant forms of energy, so they have to proceed to oxidative phosphorylation to be converted to ATP. Oxidative phosphorylation also takes in the mitochondria, and this is where oxygen comes into play. This process involves two main processes: the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis (Fernie et al., 2004). At the very end of the electron transport chain, oxygen has to be present to pick up electrons and protons so that water can be formed. In addition, hydrogen ions are also formed in the process, and they continue flowing down the matrix of the mitochondria (Fernie et al., 2004). Next, these hydrogen ions come across ATP synthase, an enzyme found in the matrix, and the enzyme harnesses the flow of these hydrogen ions to synthesize ATP. Suppose that these oxygen molecules are not present because a person is not breathing; then the electron transport chain will stop. When the electron transport chain stops, then chemiosmosis, where ATP is formed, will not take place, as they are a chain process. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.

Effects of Pollutants, Smoke, and Other Particles and Changes to the Cilia and Alveoli

Following continuous exposure to pollutants, smoke, or other foreign particles, the airway lining has shown the occurrence of epigenetic events, specifically an increase of biomarkers that bring about pulmonary inflammation. Whether the inflammation reaction is strong or weak depends on the particle type, the amount of particle, and a person’s allergies. Notably, inflammation only increases the responsiveness of the airway to the agents responsible for the inflammation. At the cellular level, inflammation can destroy cells and even kill them, compromising the barrier between alveolar and capillaries. New studies have also shown that foreign particles impair the physiological function carried out by cilia. This eventually leads to lung illnesses caused by cilia deficiency (Cao et al., 2020).

Changes to the Smooth Muscle and Cartilage

Smooth muscle cells can undergo hyperplasia and proliferation or hypertrophy, all leading to a reduction in the size of the airway (Prakash, 2013). Moreover, smooth muscles can also contract, closing up the airway, especially when under long-term exposure to pollutants leading to illnesses like asthma. Finally, in the cartilage, exposure to pollutants leads to the overproduction of mucus to help trap as many pollutants as possible. When the mucus accumulates, a person blows their nose, taking out the mucus with the trapped pollutants from the body. This process continues until the pollutants are removed from the airway.

References

Cao, Y., Chen, M., Dong, D., Xie, S., & Liu, M. (2020). Environmental pollutants damage airway epithelial cell cilia: Implications for the prevention of obstructive lung diseases. Thoracic Cancer, 11(3), 505-510.

Fernie, A. R., Carrari, F., & Sweetlove, L. J. (2004). Respiratory metabolism: glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and mitochondrial electron transport. Current opinion in plant biology, 7(3), 254-261.

Prakash, Y. S. (2013). Airway smooth muscle in airway reactivity and remodeling: what have we learned? American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology, 305(12), L912-L933.

Sokolov, S. S., Balakireva, A. V., Markova, O. V., & Severin, F. F. (2015). Negative feedback of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation: mechanisms of and reasons for it. Biochemistry (Moscow), 80(5), 559-564.

VanPutte, C. L., Regan, J. L., & Russo, A. F. (2021). Seeley’s Essentials Of Anatomy & Physiology. McGraw-Hill.

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Explain the process of aerobic respiration in a one to two-page paper.

Include the ways in which organelles use oxygen to release energy from nutrient molecules.

Aerobic Respiration

Discuss the effects of pollutants, smoke, and other particles.
Explain the changes to the cilia, alveoli, smooth muscle, and cartilage.