糖醇磷酸阶段（PPP）是一种葡萄糖氧化途径，与上游酵解反应平行进行，产生核糖5-磷酸和烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸磷酸（NADPH）。核糖5-磷酸用于核苷酸合成，而NADPH参与氧化还原稳态以及促进生物合成过程，如四氢叶酸、脱氧核糖核苷酸、脯氨酸、脂肪酸和胆固醇的合成。通过NADPH，PPP在抑制氧化应激中起到关键作用，包括某些癌症中，PPP的抑制可能具有治疗用途。相反，PPP衍生的NADPH还支持有目的的细胞产生活性氧和活性氮物质，以进行信号传导和杀灭致病微生物。PPP中遗传性缺陷相对常见，在专一的途径酶葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶（G6PD）中发生。G6PD缺陷通常表现为溶血性贫血，由于红细胞氧化损伤，但在严重情况下，还导致感染由于缺乏白细胞氧化杀伤，凸显了该途径在自由基产生和解毒中的双重氧化还原作用。该综述论述了PPP在哺乳动物中的角色，涵盖其在生物化学、生理学和疾病中的作用。© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.

The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a glucose-oxidizing pathway that runs in parallel to upper glycolysis to produce ribose 5-phosphate and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). Ribose 5-phosphate is used for nucleotide synthesis, while NADPH is involved in redox homoeostasis as well as in promoting biosynthetic processes, such as the synthesis of tetrahydrofolate, deoxyribonucleotides, proline, fatty acids and cholesterol. Through NADPH, the PPP plays a critical role in suppressing oxidative stress, including in certain cancers, in which PPP inhibition may be therapeutically useful. Conversely, PPP-derived NADPH also supports purposeful cellular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) for signalling and pathogen killing. Genetic deficiencies in the PPP occur relatively commonly in the committed pathway enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). G6PD deficiency typically manifests as haemolytic anaemia due to red cell oxidative damage but, in severe cases, also results in infections due to lack of leucocyte oxidative burst, highlighting the dual redox roles of the pathway in free radical production and detoxification. This Review discusses the PPP in mammals, covering its roles in biochemistry, physiology and disease.© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.