glucogenic

Glucogenic is an adjective used in biochemistry to describe substances that can be converted into glucose. In mammals, the primary route for this conversion is gluconeogenesis, a metabolic pathway that produces glucose from non-carbohydrate precursors.

Glucogenic substrates include lactate, glycerol, and several amino acids. Many glucogenic amino acids can be transformed into intermediates of the gluconeogenic pathway, such as pyruvate, oxaloacetate, α-ketoglutarate, or succinyl-CoA. Through these intermediates, carbon can be channeled to glucose, primarily in the liver and, to a lesser extent, the kidneys during fasting or carbohydrate restriction. Common glucogenic amino acids include alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, histidine, methionine, proline, serine, and valine.

Some substrates can be both glucogenic and ketogenic, depending on metabolic conditions. Ketogenic substrates yield acetyl-CoA or acetoacetate and cannot serve as major precursors for glucose; examples include leucine and lysine, while isoleucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, and tryptophan may be converted into glucose or ketone bodies.

In physiological terms, glucogenic pathways help maintain blood glucose during fasting, prolonged exercise, or carbohydrate scarcity, supporting energy supply for tissues that rely on glucose, such as the brain. The concept contrasts with ketogenic substrates, which predominantly feed into ketone body formation or energy production without contributing to gluconeogenesis.