Fatty Acid Oxidation and Cardiovascular Risk during Menopause: A Mitochondrial Connection?

Figure 2

Transport of fatty acids from the cytoplasm to the mitochondrial matrix for oxidation. Following activation to acyl-CoA, CoA is exchanged for carnitine by carnitine palmityl transferase (CPT-I), which is then transported to the inside of the mitochondria where a reversal exchange takes place through the action of carnitine acylcarnitine translocase (CPT-II), and beta-oxidation machinery initiates its activity, producing reducing equivalents that feed the electron transport chain. More details are available in the text. CAT: Carnitine Acylcarnitine Translocase, FFA: free fatty acid, ACS: Acyl-coA synthase, ETC: electron transport chain, IMM: inner mitochondrial membrane, OMM: outer mitochondrial membrane, coA: coenzyme A, ATP: adenosine triphosphate, ADP: adenosine diphosphate, and AMP: adenosine monophosphate.