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METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS

Metabolic balance—a masterclass in mass action

Nature Metabolism volume 4, pages 17–18 (2022)Cite this article

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Circulating metabolite levels are our window into physiological homeostasis. Beyond glucose, our understanding of how homeostasis is maintained for other major metabolites is less developed. Li et al. demonstrate that for most major circulating metabolites, there is a linear relationship between breakdown in the TCA cycle and systemic levels, and thus mass-action-driven oxidation is a major regulator of systemic metabolite levels.

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Fig. 1: Mass action maintains circulating metabolite homeostasis via increased tricarboxylic acid consumption.

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  1. Institute of Food and Health, School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Martina Wallace

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  1. Martina Wallace
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Correspondence to Martina Wallace.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Wallace, M. Metabolic balance—a masterclass in mass action. Nat Metab 4, 17–18 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00522-4

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