OxScience

Anabolism is a set of metabolic processes that result in the synthesis of cellular components from precursors of reduced molecular mass, while catabolism is the part of the metabolic process that transforms complex biomolecules into simple molecules and stores the released chemical energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate. Both are contrary processes but they work in a coordinated way.

Anabolism

It is a set of metabolism processes that synthesize cellular components from simpler or low molecular mass components. This process is also known as biosynthesis. It is one of the two parts in which the metabolism is divided.

The processes of anabolism involve the synthesis of complex organic molecules from simple organic and inorganic molecules with a requirement for energy and reducing power. They are construction processes, in which other molecules are obtained. It is an energy-consuming process.

In living beings, they use these reactions to, for example, form proteins from amino acids. This process is responsible for the increase in muscle mass, growth, the manufacture of cellular and tissue components, energy storage, photosynthesis, anabolic pathways, the Calvin cycle, nitrogen fixation, chemosynthesis, gluconeogenesis among other processes.

Catabolism

It is a metabolic process where complex biomolecules are transformed into simple molecules and chemical energy is stored in the form of high-energy bonds in ATP or adenosine triphosphate molecules.

It is the reverse process of anabolism. They are reduction-oxidation reactions, biomolecules are degraded to obtain energy with the exception of bacteria, such as Acidithiobacillus, which has the ability to metabolize iron and sulfur.

Organisms that degrade biomolecules can perform a wide variety of catabolic reactions in the presence or absence of oxygen, that is, aerobic and anaerobic processes, respectively. In these processes the organic molecules of nutrients such as proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides are broken down into amino acids, fatty acids, and monosaccharides, these molecules are taken to the cells and converted into even simpler molecules.

Differences between anabolism and catabolism

• Anabolism is all metabolic processes in which cellular to complex components are synthesized from complex molecules. It is of reducing power and consumes energy.
• Catabolism reduces complex elements into their simplest components and stores energy in the form of ATP.