Which of the following is NOT a common destination of pyruvate?

Pyruvate is a key intermediate in cellular metabolism and can be directed towards several pathways after glycolysis. The primary destinations of pyruvate involve its conversion into different compounds based on the metabolic needs of the cell.

Acetyl CoA is a common fate of pyruvate, where it undergoes decarboxylation in the presence of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, linking glycolysis to the citric acid cycle. This conversion is crucial for energy metabolism in aerobic conditions.

Lactate is also a well-known destination of pyruvate, particularly in anaerobic conditions. When oxygen is scarce, pyruvate can be reduced to lactate via lactate dehydrogenase, allowing glycolysis to continue by regenerating NAD+.

Oxaloacetate is another potential destination for pyruvate; it can be converted into oxaloacetate through the carboxylation reaction catalyzed by pyruvate carboxylase, which is important for gluconeogenesis and replenishing intermediates in the citric acid cycle.

However, glucose is not a direct destination of pyruvate. While pyruvate can be used in gluconeogenesis to ultimately generate glucose, it doesn’t convert to glucose directly