Pentose phosphate pathway



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In biochemistry, the pentose phosphate pathway (also called the phosphogluconate pathway and the hexose monophosphate shunt) is a metabolic pathway parallel to glycolysis that generates NADPH and pentoses (5-carbon sugars) as well as Ribose 5-phosphate, a precursor for the synthesis of nucleotides. While it does involve oxidation of glucose, its primary role is anabolic rather than catabolic.