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'Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate' ('NADP') is used in anabolic reactions, such as fatty acid and nucleic acid synthesis, which require NADPH as a reducing agent.
NADPH is the reduced form of NADP⁺, and NADP⁺ is the oxidized form of NADPH.

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In plants

In animals

See also

In plants

In chloroplasts, NADP is a reducing agent (electron donor) important in the preliminary reactions of photosynthesis. The NADPH produced by photosynthesis is then used as reducing power for the biosynthetic reactions in the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis.

In animals

The oxidative phase of the pentose phosphate pathway is the major source of NADPH in cells.
NADPH provides the reducing equivalents for biosynthetic reactions and for oxidation-reduction involved in protection against the toxicity of ROS (reactive oxygen species).
NADPH is also used for anabolic pathways, such as fatty acid synthesis, cholesterol synthesis and fatty acid chain elongation.
It is the source of reducing equivalents for cytochrome 450 hydroxylation of aromatic compounds, steroids, alcohols, and drugs.

See also

★ Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide