The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a metabolic pathway that parallels glycolysis. In cells, within the cytosol, glucose is converted into glucose 6-phosphate (catalyzed by the enzyme hexokinase), which can then either 1) enter glycolysis (and subsequent glucose oxidation via citric acid cycle) to produce ATP, or 2) enter the PPP. The PPP (diagram below) is primarily an anabolic pathway; the primary purpose being the following: to produce molecules (specifically 5 carbon sugars, and Ribose-5-phosphate) used for fatty acid synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis, and protein synthesis. However, another important purpose of the PPP is to produce NADPH, a high energy