Metabolism is the totality of biochemical reactions that occur within living cells to sustain life, converting nutrients into energy and into the molecular building blocks required for growth, maintenance, and repair. It comprises two complementary arms: catabolism, which breaks down complex molecules to release ene…
Metabolism is the totality of biochemical reactions that occur within living cells to sustain life, converting nutrients into energy and into the molecular building blocks required for growth, maintenance, and repair. It comprises two complementary arms: catabolism, which breaks down complex molecules to release energy and simpler precursors, and anabolism, which uses that energy to synthesize the proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other components of the cell. These reactions are organized into interconnected pathways catalyzed by enzymes and regulated by hormones, substrate availability, and cellular signals, allowing the organism to balance energy supply with demand and to maintain internal homeostasis, including temperature and pH. Disturbances in metabolic regulation underlie many diseases, and the study of metabolism spans normal physiology, the altered metabolism of cancer and other pathological cells, and the analysis of small-molecule profiles through metabolomics. Research relevant to this area examines the targeting of cell metabolism in malignancy, disorders of energy metabolism such as lactic acidosis, mineral and phosphate metabolism, and specialized neurometabolic processes in the brain. By describing how cells acquire, transform, and expend energy and matter, metabolism provides a unifying framework for understanding health, disease, and the response to nutrition and environment at the biochemical level.
9 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 9 articles above have been cited 59 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Metabolism, linking to each citing work.