Soluhengitystään

Soluhengitystään is a Finnish term that translates to "cellular respiration" in English. It refers to the biochemical process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the main energy currency of the cell. This process is fundamental to life as it provides the energy required for all cellular activities, including muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, and synthesis of new molecules.

Cellular respiration is a complex series of reactions that occur in different parts of the cell. It begins with glycolysis, which takes place in the cytoplasm, where glucose is broken down into pyruvate. In the presence of oxygen, pyruvate then enters the mitochondria, where it undergoes further breakdown through the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. These stages generate a significant amount of ATP.

The overall equation for cellular respiration is often simplified as: C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP. This equation highlights the reactants (glucose and oxygen) and the products (carbon dioxide, water, and energy in the form of ATP). While the term "soluhengitystään" specifically refers to the metabolic process, it is intrinsically linked to the concept of breathing in organisms, as the oxygen required for efficient cellular respiration is typically obtained through respiration.