Hue · American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism 2009 · narrative review · n=?

The Randle cycle revisited: a new head for an old hat.

Cited 748 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review describing biochemical mechanisms without original empirical data or systematic search

PubMed 19531645 · doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00093.2009 · record verified 2026-08-31

What was done

This is a narrative review examining the biochemical mechanisms underlying the Randle (glucose-fatty acid) cycle. The authors synthesized short- and long-term regulatory pathways controlling glucose and fatty acid utilization across cytoplasmic and mitochondrial compartments in mammalian muscle and liver under physiological and pathophysiological states.

What was found

The abstract reports no empirical numbers or quantitative findings. It describes conceptual extensions to the classic model of fatty acid-mediated inhibition of glucose oxidation, identifying regulatory layers that include allosteric control, reversible phosphorylation, and transcriptional regulation of metabolic enzymes.

Why it matters

This review integrates modern biochemical signaling pathways into the classical glucose-fatty acid cycle framework. It provides a theoretical basis for understanding metabolic flexibility and fuel selection in health and disease.

Limits

As a non-systematic narrative review, the paper provides no original empirical data, quantitative synthesis, or detailed search criteria. The abstract does not specify the underlying experimental models or sample sizes.

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