Pyruvate oxidation is the step that connects glycolysis to the citric acid cycle through the generation of acetyl-CoA.
The first thing that happens after glycolysis is that pyruvic acid passes from the cytoplasm to the mitochondrial matrix, crossing the membranes.
Pyruvic acid undergoes oxidation, a CO2 molecule is released and an acyl group (CH3-CO) is formed.
In this reaction, one molecule of NADH is formed, as in glycolysis the final product was two molecules of pyruvic acid, now two of NADH will be formed for each molecule of glucose.
Each acyl group binds to a Coenzyme A and acetyl Coenzyme A is formed, at this time the citric acid cycle begins.
Acetyl-CoA is degraded in the citric acid cycle to produce energy when cellular needs demand it.
Therefore, we can conclude that glycolysis achieves from the degradation of glucose to obtain 2 molecules of pyruvate, which is a previous step to give acetyl-Coa, which is the starting molecule of the citric acid cycle.
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