Cardiac energy metabolism: Models of cellular respiration

The heart requires a large amount of energy to sustain both ionic homeostas is and contraction. Under normal conditions, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) p roduction meets this demand. Hence, there is a complex regulatory system th at adjusts energy production to meet this demand. However, the mechanisms f or this control are a topic of active debate. Energy metabolism can be divi ded into three main stages: substrate delivery to the tricarboxylic acid (T CA) cycle, the TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Each of these proc esses has multiple control points and exerts control over the other stages. This review discusses the basic stages of energy metabolism, mechanisms of control, and the mathematical and computational models that have been used to study these mechanisms.