MolDraw › Templates › Biochemistry › Fatty acid β-oxidation

BiochemistryFree

Fatty acid β-oxidation template

Fatty acid β-oxidation template: Acyl-CoA → trans-Δ²-enoyl-CoA (acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, FAD) → L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA (hydratase) → 3-ketoacyl-CoA (NAD⁺) → acetyl-CoA + acyl-CoA two carbons shorter (thiolase), with the palmitate ATP yield.

Free template. Download it, or open it in MolDraw to change it first.

Acyl-CoA → trans-Δ²-enoyl-CoA (acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, FAD) → L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA (hydratase) → 3-ketoacyl-CoA (NAD⁺) → acetyl-CoA + acyl-CoA two carbons shorter (thiolase), with the palmitate ATP yield.

What the template shows

  • One round in the mitochondrial matrix removes two carbons as acetyl-CoA and loads one FADH₂ and one NADH
  • fatty acyl-CoA (Cₙ)
  • trans-Δ²-enoyl-CoA
  • L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA
  • 3-ketoacyl-CoA
  • acyl-CoA (Cₙ₋₂)
  • acetyl-CoA
  • Each round: oxidation (FAD), hydration, oxidation (NAD⁺), thiolysis: the same chemistry as succinate → fumarate → malate → oxaloacetate.
  • Palmitoyl-CoA (C₁₆) takes 7 rounds: 8 acetyl-CoA + 7 FADH₂ + 7 NADH.
  • Yield: 8 × 10 (Krebs cycle + oxidative phosphorylation) + 7 × 1.5 + 7 × 2.5 = 108 ATP; activation costs 2 (ATP → AMP + PPᵢ), so 106 ATP net per palmitate.
  • Fatty acids are activated in the cytosol and enter the matrix by the carnitine shuttle; CPT I is the control point (inhibited by malonyl-CoA). R = rest of the chain, R′ = CoA.

Drawn with 40 atoms, 4 arrows, 1 shape – every one editable in MolDraw.

Sources

How to use this template

  1. Press Edit in MolDraw. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
  2. Change anything: move structures, edit atoms and labels, recolour highlights or delete what you do not need.
  3. Add your own structures, arrows and text next to it, or combine several templates on one page.
  4. Export the drawing as PNG, SVG or PDF for slides, worksheets, theses and papers.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Fatty acid β-oxidation template free?

Yes. The Fatty acid β-oxidation template is one of the free MolDraw templates: open it in the editor or download it from this page as SVG or PNG and use it in your slides, worksheets and notes.

Can I edit the Fatty acid β-oxidation template?

Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.

Is the chemistry checked?

Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.

Are the biochemical pathways drawn with structures?

Yes. Pathway templates show the intermediates as structures, with enzymes and cofactors (NAD⁺, FAD, ATP) on the arrows.

More biochemistry templates

Related pages