#metabolism

• Acaloric — A term used in nutrition and biochemistry to describe a food, product, sweetener, or substance that provides no energy to the body upon ingestion, possessing a net zero or negligible caloric value. These substances pass through the digestive tract without being metabolized into energy-generating macronutrients, making them widely used in therapeutic dietary regimens, weight management, and the nutritional control of diabetes mellitus.
• Achromaturia — A pathological clinical condition manifested by the emission of completely colorless or pale urine, lacking normal urinary pigments (such as urochrome and urobilin). This phenomenon may indicate extreme dilution in diabetes insipidus, a severe inability of the kidneys to concentrate urine in advanced renal failure, or a massive and sudden intake of fluids.
• Adenosine-phosphoric — Relating to compounds resulting from the combination of adenosine with one or more phosphoric acid groups, playing a fundamental role in cellular energy metabolism. In a structural sense, it describes nucleoside-phosphoric acids (such as ATP, ADP, or AMP) that act as primary carriers of chemical energy and mediators in the biochemical signaling processes of living organisms.
• Adermin — An alternative or historical scientific name granted to vitamin B6 (specifically pyridoxine), an organic compound essential for cellular metabolism. This element plays a crucial structural and functional role in the body, acting as a major coenzyme in the synthesis of amino acids, neurotransmitters, and hemoglobin, being so named due to its demonstrated capacity to prevent or cure severe dermatological disorders.
• Adetine — A complex nitrogenous organic substance, structurally derived from purine bases or related amino-acidic compounds, studied in biological chemistry laboratories for its role in nucleoside synthesis or cellular metabolic reactions. This biochemical compound is analyzed in laboratory research as a fine structural marker or intermediate metabolite in nucleic acid degradation pathways.
• Adipogenic — Producing, generating, or favoring the formation and accumulation of adipose tissue or fatty acids in the body. In a structural and metabolic sense, it describes hormonal, nutritional, genetic factors, or precursor cell lines (preadipocytes) directly involved in the process of adipogenesis and the development of obesity.
• Adipogeny — A theoretical concept, branch of physiology, or pathological state dealing with the study of the origin, formation, and development of fatty tissue in the organism; the innate capacity or structural predisposition of certain tissues or individuals to generate and accumulate fat cells under the influence of genetic or metabolic factors.
• Adipolysis — A biochemical and metabolic process of breakdown, hydrolysis, or degradation of lipids and triglycerides stored in adipose tissue, leading to the release of free fatty acids and glycerol into the bloodstream; this structural reaction is enzymatically regulated by lipases and stimulated hormonally by adrenaline, glucagon, or cortisol to meet the body's energy requirements during periods of exertion or fasting.
• Adipose — Containing fat, structurally formed of fat, or possessing its characteristics. In anatomy and histology, it describes the type of connective tissue specialized in storing triglycerides inside cells called adipocytes, fulfilling essential roles as an energy reserve, thermal insulation, and mechanical protection of organs.
• Adiposis — A pathological condition marked by the excessive, massive, and diffuse accumulation of fat within the subcutaneous connective tissue or around internal organs; this altered structural state (clinically known also as lipomatosis or severe obesity) can be caused by metabolic disorders, endocrine imbalances, or genetic factors, affecting normal mobility and cardiovascular functions.
• Adiposuria — The pathological presence or elimination of fat droplets or lipid substances in the urine, occurring as a result of severe metabolic disorders, degenerative kidney lesions, or fat embolisms. This urinary structural phenomenon alters the macroscopic appearance of the fluid, requiring laboratory microscopic and biochemical analyses to identify the underlying cause of the deficient filtration within the renal glomeruli.
• Aerobic — Living, developing, manifesting, or functioning only in the presence of free atmospheric oxygen. In biology, it refers to organisms (aerobionts) that use oxygen for cellular respiration; in physiology and sports, it describes a type of moderate and prolonged physical effort where energy is produced through oxygen metabolism.
• Aerobiotic — Relating to aerobiosis, belonging to aerobiosis, or developing in an environment governed by the presence of atmospheric oxygen. This term describes the metabolic phenomena, life modes, or ecological niches specific to aerobic organisms, highlighting the biochemical interaction between cells and molecular oxygen.
• Aerobiosis — A condition of life or a biochemical process of organisms that can only exist and function in the presence of free molecular oxygen; the assembly of metabolic reactions through which organic substances are fully oxidized, resulting in the production of energy, carbon dioxide, and water. It represents the opposite of anaerobiosis and is specific to the vast majority of complex living beings.
• Aerobe — As a noun, it designates any organism (especially a microorganism, such as a bacterium or fungus) that requires free molecular oxygen to live and develop. As an adjective, it represents a less frequent linguistic variant of the term 'aerob', describing phenomena, environments, or beings adapted to the presence of air.
• Agave — The official taxonomic genus grouping numerous succulent plant species within the subfamily Agavoideae, family Asparagaceae. Members of this genus are renowned for their CAM metabolism which enables water conservation, their socio-economic importance in producing traditional distilled beverages (such as tequila and mezcal), and their major ecological distribution within New World arid biomes.
• Aglycophagy — A biological condition or restrictive dietary regime characterized by the total absence or refusal of consuming carbohydrates, sugars, or glycosylated compounds. In cellular physiology or microbiology, the term describes the structural inability of an organism or a bacterial culture to metabolize and utilize carbohydrates as a primary energy source.
• Alanine — A non-essential, structurally aliphatic amino acid with the chemical formula CH3-CH(NH2)-COOH, which is a constituent of most proteins in living organisms; it plays a fundamental role in glucose metabolism through the glucose-alanine cycle, allowing muscles to convert amino acids into energy and transport residual nitrogen to the liver for elimination as urea. This organic compound actively participates in protein synthesis, immune system support, and blood sugar regulation.
• Albuminolysis — The chemical or enzymatic process of cleavage, decomposition, or hydrolytic degradation of albumins and other protein molecules into simpler compounds, such as peptones, peptides, and amino acids; proteolysis applied to albumins.
• Alkalosis — A disturbance of the acid-base balance in the body, characterized by an increase in plasma pH above the normal value of 7.45, resulting from the accumulation of alkaline substances (bases) or excessive loss of acids. It can be metabolic (triggered by severe vomiting or bicarbonate ingestion) or respiratory (caused by hyperventilation).