Anaplerotic Reactions

Anaplerotic  reactions are  reactions  that  replenish the  intermediates of  citric acid cycle. The  special  enzymatic mechanisms  by  which  the  pool  of  citric  acid cycle intermediates  can be replenished are called anaplerotic (filling-up) reactions. Anaplerotic reactions can  increase the concentration of citric acid cycle intermediates, allowing an  increased  rate of oxidation of  two-carbon units. As more intermediates are available, more moles of acetyl CoA can be  processed.