Pyruvate under aerobic condition is converted to acetyl CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase which enters the TCA cycle for complete oxidation or used for fatty acids synthesis.
Under anaerobic condition pyruvate can be converted to lactate by lactate dehydrogenase, It can also be converted into the amino acid alanine by the enzyme alanine transaminase .
Pyruvate may be channeled back to glucose through gluconeogenesis by converting pyruvate to oxaloacetate which is also a precursor for malete and aspartate shuttle.
